It would not be an over-exaggeration to say that Frank Lampard’s Chelsea have exceeded expectations this season. With a transfer ban looming over the club, and the introduction of the inexperienced Lampard as head coach, many predicted a season of inconsistency and transition in the Premier League and in Europe.
Tough Week Halts Frank Lampard’s Chelsea’s Progress as Weaknesses Appear
However, the Blues currently sit in the top four, six points ahead of fifth-placed Tottenham. They look set to qualify from a tricky Champions League group containing Ajax, Valencia and Lille. It is even more impressive how Lampard has nurtured a young squad into playing an attractive, fast-paced game as Chelsea grow into being one of the more watchable teams in the country.
The stats also emphasise the progress of Lampard’s Chelsea side this season. In attack, they have scored 28 goals and are averaging the second-most shots per game (16.7) in the Premier League. They also rank second in passes per game (599.1) and third for successful dribbles (13.1) per match. Furthermore, defensively, only Manchester City are averaging fewer shots per game, while Chelsea also lay in the top six for tackles (18.1) and interceptions (13.4).
Added to that, impressive victories away at Ajax, Wolves, Burnley have raised optimism around Stamford Bridge that Lampard’s coaching ability, as well as the strength of his squad, is better than first anticipated. The rise of academy graduates Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, Fukayo Tomori, Reece James, and Callum Hudson-Odoi has been the catalyst to an impressive start, while new signing Christian Pulisic, Matteo Kovacic, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Kurt Zouma have also shone.
Yet a poor week of results, which saw Chelsea lose 2-1 at Manchester City, 1-0 at home to West Ham and draw 2-2 against Valencia at the Mestalla in the Champions League suggests that the Blues are starting to see certain issues appear.
Fragile Defence
In defence, despite the promise of James, Tomori and Zouma, fragility remains against sides that put them under pressure. The departures of title-winning centre-backs David Luiz and Gary Cahill have reduced experience and numbers at the heart of the back-line. It showed at the Etihad. Kevin De Bruyne‘s equaliser with a myriad of defenders around him was avoidable, while Emerson’s reluctance to show Riyad Mahrez onto his weaker foot allowed the Algerian to curl home the winner.
West Ham Woe
Saturday’s home defeat to West Ham also exposed Chelsea’s defensive problems. Hammers left-back Aaron Cresswell strode into the box unchallenged before finishing superbly, while it took a VAR intervention to prevent Michael Antonio from making it 2-0 after the forward handled the ball into the net as Chelsea struggled with one of several crosses into the box throughout the match.
“We were not at our best, that was very clear,” said Lampard after the defeat. “We came up below par and that’s something I’ve not had to say much this season. If anything it’s a test for us here and a reality check for us to react very quickly. We didn’t create as much as we normally do, and we gave away too many opportunities.”
Issues in Attack
Problems are also developing for Lampard’s Chelsea in attack. Mount, after recovering from a potentially nasty ankle injury, has struggled to rediscover his goalscoring touch. Furthermore, Willian is out of form and Abraham has only three league goals in his last nine games after scoring seven in his first five. Were it not for the recent form of Pulisic, who has found his feet with six goals in his last seven games in all competitions, including a hat-trick against Burnley and the winner at Watford, things could have been worse.
Abraham has been impressive in his debut season for Chelsea. For example, no Premier League player to have played more than 300 minutes this season has a better average than his 0.93 non-penalty goals per game. He has made up for the club not being able to buy a striker. However, the back-up options are a worry. Michy Batshuayi, despite averaging a goal every 110 minutes in his Premier League career, has been wasteful, while Olivier Giroud has lacked the movement to trouble opposition defences from the start.
Without the threat of Abraham due to a hip injury picked up against Valencia, Chelsea looked far less potent with Giroud leading the line on Saturday and, as a result, had to adapt their game to the Frenchman’s strengths. In the 12 Premier League games that Abraham has started this season, Chelsea have averaged 11.25 crosses from open play. On Saturday against West Ham, they produced 28.
It is telling that Giroud, supremely effective off the bench, started over Batshuayi, despite the differing styles of the former Arsenal forward to Chelsea’s usual game plan, which revolves around slick passing and fast attacks. Quite whether Lampard trusts Batshuayi remains uncertain but the reliance on 22-year-old Abraham may take its toll.
Reality Check
In a vastly positive season so far for Chelsea, the past week’s dip in form has provided a reality check. Lampard has shown immense promise as a manager. But, he has plenty of work ahead to turn a talented yet inconsistent and relatively inexperienced squad into one that challenges for major honours.
Aston Villa, Everton, Lille, Bournemouth, Tottenham, Arsenal: A challenging winter fixture list that should further test Lampard’s Chelsea.
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