Chelsea: Who are the players the team should build around?

Chelsea has to find a player (or players) to build the squad around. Who are a few options to create a hub for the team going forward?

The Blues have one of the most talent stacked squads in all of Europe. While this is undoubtedly a blessing, it does present some problems. Particularly, in picking a consistent team week in week out. What Chelsea needs right now are players the side can build around and push on.

In the last summer transfer window, Chelsea made a major statement by signing six world class players to join the first team. These signings were brought in to address problems present in the side from the previous season and to make the squad competitive. We are almost at the half way mark of this term and it would be fair to say Frank Lampard hasn’t yet figured out his strongest starting XI.

From this moment on, Lampard should identify a player or players the team should build around. This would lay the foundations for the rest of the season and beyond. There are a number of players who fit the bill and who could make a good argument of being the attacking focal point.

The first player to make a case for himself is Hakim Ziyech. When Ziyech has been on the field, he has been Chelsea’s most influential player in almost every game. He has the ability to dictate tempo, create chances, and score goals. The wand of his left foot has already been on display with him grabbing a couple goals from outside the box and switching the ball from flank to flank with ease. Also, Ziyech’s playing off the right with his left foot means he has a tendency to cut inside most of the time, leaving space on the right-hand side for the marauding runs of Reece James. Some of Chelsea’s best football this season has come off the combination of these two.

Despite everything the Moroccan wizard brings to the table, building the side around him could also be problematic. While a right sided player with a left foot is very effective (look no further than Arjen Robben’s decade long dominance at Bayern Munich), Ziyech is not blessed with the pace to beat a defender. If a match required the game plan to change. Chelsea could become lackluster showing performances no different to some of recent weeks.

The second option is to build around both Timo Werner and Kai Havertz. Werner and Havertz being the big money signings would probably be the most obvious option and the ones the Chelsea board desire the most for the team to be built around. However, considering recent form and still finding their feet at the club, it would seem risky to trust them in such roles. That being said, it must not be forgotten both Werner and Havertz are thought of extremely highly back in German and are the main hopes for the next generation of the German nation side.

There is no doubting the immense talent the two possess, if Lampard were to remove the tactical shackles of the two Germans, we could potentially see the best of them and propel Chelsea up the league. However, giving two players such freedom at the expense of the team could be extremely costly and it would be up the Lampard to weigh up the risk to benefit ratio on whether it is worth it.

The final option, and arguably the most obvious now considering their form, is both Christian Pulisic and Callum Hudson-Odoi. Currently, it would be fair to say that Pulisic and Hudson-Odoi are Chelsea’s best players. Despite the team’s poor form of recent, the two young wingers have been the bright sparks. Also, building a team around two wingers gives the side a clear shape and attacking philosophy. Neither Pulisic nor Hudson-Odoi are one dimensional wingers either. Both are blessed with blistering pace but also have the technical ability to play inside.

This option is the most tactically flexible as having Pulisic and Hudson-Odoi as wingers, Lampard can still play either a 4-2-3-1 formation or any variation on a 4-3-3 and not hinder their effectiveness. Building the team around two players who were already at the club prior to last summer may raise the eyebrows of some. But these two young men have the potential to be amongst Europe’s best and be one of the most feared wide men for the next decade.

Any of the mentioned names could be the players Frank Lampard builds his side around but he must figure it out quickly and put his foot down. If big names are to be omitted for the sake of the team so be it. On current form Pulisic and Hudson-Odoi deserve a run of games being the focal point of the team and Lampard is always one to reward good performances. Right now, there is no better option than that dynamic duo.