LAMPARD DESERVES PLAUDITS FOR CHELSEA START
Frank Lampard should be given all the plaudits for Chelsea form this season despite being hamstrung by a transfer ban. The Blues manager has been able to utilize the players at his disposal to achieve results with a nice attractive football.
When Lampard was announced as the coach of Chelsea many were wondering whether he had taken more than he could chew in his young career. However, what many did not realize was that Chelsea had exceptional players in their loan system that could be groomed to become quality performers.
Mason Mount, for example, has been excellent for the club playing just behind Tammy Abraham. His link-up play and scoring nous is reminiscent of two players in Chelsea’s recent history which are Adrian Mutu and Frank Lampard.
While Mutu operated in a similar vein like Mount. Lampard always preferred to operate from deep, sprinting forward to support the loan striker. Mount has been a perfect foil as Abraham’s hold up play is excellent. This means that he can run behind to through ball and the young midfielder possess an accurate shot.
He has also been able to handle potential formation crises, after losing Emerson to an injury, Lampard has been able to integrate Marcos Alonso into the team by going three at the back. This means that the Spaniard is less of a liability in the team.
This was evident in the game against Wolves as AdamaTraore was unable to use his pace and power to terrorize the defender.
However, Chelsea have to work on their defensive lapses which was exploited by Manchester United and Liverpool this season. Although FikayoTomori has been an excellent addition, he has not been helped by the uncertainty of Kurt Zouma.
Zouma has not enjoyed the best of starts and Lampard will have to find a way to get the big defender to his peak form.