Chelsea three key clashes: A new test for Frank Lampard’s side

Chelsea faces a new test in a team like West Brom. What key clashes will decide the outcome of the match for Frank Lampard’s men?

Fresh off a great win against Barnsley, Chelsea faces a new test in West Brom. The Baggies have been playing quite a bit differently than the opponents the Blues have faced thus far this season and they are the exact type of opponent that gave the team trouble last season. What key clashes will decide the match?

1. Attack versus a stodgy defense

So far this season, Chelsea has faced teams that have come on to them offensively, leaving themselves exposed defensively. It happened with Brighton, Liverpool, and even Barnsley who were surprisingly gung ho. In all three matches, the Blues focused on playing the ball in behind to Timo Werner or a winger to break through their offside trap.

West Brom won’t be one of those teams. In fact, West Brom has pretty much rejected everything that got them into the Premier League to eke out whatever points they can. They will defend deep with numbers and look to get something, anything, on a counter.

This is the type of opponent Chelsea struggled to break down last season and the type that often caught the Blues sleeping at the back. Many of the attacking signings over the summer were made for this exact type of opponent and Frank Lampard can finally test his scouting against an opponent like that. Whoever he selects will need to put on a good show.

2. Set pieces coming and going

West Brom will primarily look to score on the counter, but they also will not say no to a solid set piece. Attacking set pieces worked well for them in the Championship and it is no secret that Chelsea struggled with them last season.

Luckily, West Brom did too. The Baggies can attack a set piece just fine but they are not very good at defending them. Of course, Chelsea has given little to no indication that they are any better at scoring them than they are defending them.

How the Blues weather a set piece coming and going may end up tilting the match one way or another. It may be imperative that Chelsea breaks West Brom down and creates a buffer of two or more before they start getting sloppy at the back.

3. Frank Lampard’s lineup selection versus the alternatives

Barnsley is a lower level Championship side, but that doesn’t mean Lampard can’t take performances against them into account. The link up between Kai Havertz and Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount was extremely pleasant to watch. With Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech still not fit, Lampard should be able to play a band of three of Timo Werner, Havertz, and Mount with Abraham ahead.

Of course, there will still be complaints about who is left out somehow. Probably with Callum Hudson-Odoi despite not truly impressing compared to his teammates against Barnsley. Anything short of an emphatic win will cause the boo boys to crawl back out from their rocks to criticize Lampard’s decisions.

But like it has been the case in nearly every match this season, the lineup pretty much picks itself on form and injuries. Only time will tell if Lampard gets it right but unfortunately that may not be enough for some in the peanut gallery.

What key clashes are you looking for in this match? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter!