Frank Lampard: How new manager’s Chelsea could line up for 2019/20 season

Frank Lampard’s dream return to Chelsea as manager is official and will see the former captain take the reins at a club in the midst of turmoil, upheaval and uncertainty.

After one solitary season in charge of Derby County, in which he guided his side to the Championship play-off final, Chelsea have decided to take the risk on the relatively unproven, raw Lampard.

In some ways Chelsea’s hand has been forced into making this decision, with Maurizio Sarri’s return to Italy, the transfer ban and uncertainty regarding owner Roman Abramovich future involvement, the appeal of taking over at the club has been diminished.

So how can Lampard tackle the gargantuan job that is Chelsea? A side afflicted with the rigor mortis of Sarriball and the departure of talisman Eden Hazard requires a breath of fresh air and Lampard’s approach can provide this.

At Derby, he tended to line up with a 4-3-3 formation which could easily transition into a 4-2-3-1 as the wingers cut inside to become involved in the build-up. They relied on the pace of their front three, as well as the unpredictably of where the wingers would end up in attacking positions.

Mason Mount, whose attacking instinct saw him net 11 goals last season, could replicate his role for Chelsea as the attacking force in the midfield trio. The question of Jorginho, who was the fulcrum of Sarriball, will be one for Lampard to tackle, with many calls for N’Golo Kante to return to his favoured defensive position.

Ross Barkley, Mateo Kovacic (who is set to join permanently from Real Madrid) and the injured Ruben Loftus-Cheek can all add athleticism to the midfield, which Lampard used the pacey American Duane Holmes for effectively last season.

The arrival of Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund will add a spark to the side and offers the option to cut in from the left, allowing Emerson to bomb on down the flank from left-back. The injury to Callum Hudson-Odoi is a hammer blow but Willian and Pedro offer a decent option until he returns to fitness.

Perhaps one of the more understated issues related to Chelsea’s transfer ban is the lack of a top quality striker. Gonzalo Higuaín failed to find a decent vein of form and seems destined to reunite with Sarri at Juventus. Olivier Giroud was excellent in the Europa League but his Premier League form has been poor. Lampard prefers to play with a pacey forward, such as Jack Marriott or Mason Bennett but with the ban in place, he may turn to Tammy Abraham to find a solution.

Lampard is not afraid to use youth players and could call upon the highly-rated, 19-year-old Charlie Brown who scored 12 goals in 9 Uefa Youth League games last season. 

Potential Chelsea XI 2019/20

(4-3-3)

GK: Kepa

RB: Aziplicueta

CB: Rudiger

CB: David Luiz

LB: Emerson

CDM: Kante

CM: Barkley

CM: Mount

RW: Hudson-Odoi

LW: Pulisic

ST: Abraham

Key subs: Marcos Alonso, Ampadu, Kovacic, Loftus-Cheek, Jorginho, Willian, Giroud, Charlie Brown