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Three things to look for as Chelsea goes to Krasnodar for the UCL

By Gabe Henderson

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 20: Reece James of Chelsea competes for the ball with Marcos Acuña of Sevilla during the UEFA Champions League Group E stage match between Chelsea FC and FC Sevilla at Stamford Bridge on October 20, 2020 in London, England.Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Mateo Villalba/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 20: Reece James of Chelsea competes for the ball with Marcos Acuña of Sevilla during the UEFA Champions League Group E stage match between Chelsea FC and FC Sevilla at Stamford Bridge on October 20, 2020 in London, England.Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Mateo Villalba/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images) /
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Chelsea’s English head coach Frank Lampard gestures from the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Chelsea at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England, on October 24, 2020. (Photo by PHIL NOBLE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Chelsea’s English head coach Frank Lampard gestures from the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Chelsea at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England, on October 24, 2020. (Photo by PHIL NOBLE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /

2. Formation

Frank Lampard flirted with a 3-4-3 again last weekend, stop me if you’ve heard this one before.

The second-year Chelsea gaffer turned to his trusty three at the back formation once again in a big match as it earned his side a point at Old Trafford. The Blues kept their second consecutive clean sheet against Champions League opponents, but were held scoreless again, as well. Chelsea has gotten a pass to begin the season given the circumstances, but things need to start firing on all cylinders if the west Londoners want any chance at achieving their goals this season—no pun intended.

The Krasnodar match will be Chelsea’s 10th of the season. Lampard has experimented with the 4-2-3-1, turned back to the 4-3-3 and even used the 3-4-3—as previously mentioned—this year. Now as the Blues turn a corner, it’s time to establish an identity and find out what the team’s best formation is going forward. The manager has turned to the 4-2-3-1 in all but two games; if he truly believes that is the formation of the future, Chelsea needs to line up that way across the next few matches. However, if there’s any doubt in the staffs’ minds, the coaches need to think long and hard about their next move.

The Blues’ upcoming schedule includes Burnley, Rennes and Sheffield United. However, first things first, they need to take care of Krasnodar. Europe’s top leagues come to a screeching halt once these four games are up as another international break looms. Therefore, it’s important to have a gameplan for the rest of the season before the squad splits for international duty.

Lampard’s formational choice against Krasnodar will seemingly tell all. He took the blame on multiple occasions last season for usually sticking to the 3-4-3 in smaller matches after it worked against big six squads, but has he learned from his past blunders? The time for experiments is almost over as the honeymoon phase continues to fade away in the rearview mirror. The Krasnodar match represents the manager’s first major chance at establishing an identity for this team going forward.

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