New midfield formation is the key to Chelsea’s recent success

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard made a slight adjustment to the way the team is set up in midfield and it’s worked wonders as of late.

The past few matches have easily been Chelsea’s best of the young season, with clean sheets becoming a constant and no shortage of goals. The Blues—especially defensively—have improved dramatically already, and they aren’t showing any signs of slowing down. The previous two games have been particularly interesting to watch as the weaker opponents have given Chelsea the opportunity to really attack with abandon. The results of this offensive strategy show that while the Blues are clearly the better side with the better players, they can dominate a game and score goals at will.

The wrinkle that Lampard introduced that really opened up the offense is the new midfield formation with N’Golo Kante sitting as the lone defensive midfielder in front of the back four, while Kai Havertz and Mason Mount are in more advanced positions. This inverse triangle has not only helped the forwards by providing support from the attacking players, but it allows Kante to really shine in his most natural position.

More from Chelsea FC News

• Bournemouth vs Chelsea: 1 Blue Mauricio Pochettino should drop
• Bournemouth vs Chelsea: 3 Blues who must start
• Predicted Chelsea lineup vs Bournemouth: Palmer starts in 4-2-3-1
• Chelsea sporting directors finally reveal why they sign so many young players
• These 3 new signings may never get a game at Chelsea

Looking at the new midfield’s impact on the attack, it’s easy to see why Lampard made the formation change. It allows him to keep his prized pupil Mount on the pitch, along with the other four big name attackers. Many jokes about Lampard’s insistence on playing Mount have made the rounds on social media, but the young Englishman has performed well in the past two matches, even assisting Kurt Zouma’s goal against Burnley on Saturday.

Hakim Ziyech has really begun to thrive with the formation change, as well, as he definitely needed more support from the midfield that Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic simply weren’t able to provide. His connection with Havertz is obviously gelling quickly. Ziyech has scored in each of the last two matches, earning Man of the Match honors in both.

While the new formation is obviously a huge boost going forward, it’s also had a positive effect on the defense. Now, there are a number of other reasons as to why Chelsea has improved so quickly at the back (thank you to our savior, Edouard Mendy), but Kante’s new role at the base of the midfield has undoubtedly been a help, as well.

When Kante first burst onto the scene in the 2015/16 season for Leicester City, then manager Claudio Ranieri favored a 4-4-2 formation with Kante and Chelsea legend Danny Drinkwater controlling the midfield. Many times during matches that season, especially when the Foxes were trying to preserve a lead, Kante would drop deeper and almost form a 4-1-2-1-2 with a diamond in the midfield. This was when Kante was really at his best, chasing down opponents and winning the ball back with ease.

This is the role Lampard is trying to recreate in the new formation, with Kante sitting deep and focusing most of his energy on defending. Over the past few seasons, especially under Maurizio Sarri, Kante has proven that he is a complete midfielder, even scoring a few goals in addition to his incredible work rate. But, it’s time for him to return to what he does best, and that is support the back line and keeper better than any other midfielder in world football.

It will be interesting to see if Lampard continues to use this inverse diamond midfield against tougher opposition, but luckily, Chelsea won’t have to play that for quite some time. The Blues’ next high-profile opponent will be Spurs in the Premier League on November 29. Fans should expect to see the new formation employed until that match at least, and hopefully, the successful results will continue.