BEVERLY HILLS, December 28, (THEWILL) – Having taken just four points out of a possible 15 from their last five games, Frank Lampard’s Chelsea side has gone through another phase of their ebb and flow in what has characterised this season as they continue the integration of the new acquisitions into the Chelsea system and make them all click as one individual unit of component parts.
Expected changes in the aftermath of the unexpected loss to Arsenal on Boxing Day came as Lampard mixed things up with his selection for this game, though he was quick to clarify that the six changes to the squad were purely down to fitness and rotation and not as a reaction to the loss at the Emirates.
Yet, it is not inconceivable to conclude that leaving out big name inclusions in the Chelsea side was meant to pass a message to Kai Havertz and Timo Werner after their dismal showing against Arsenal.
The inescapable query that the recent performance of the Chelsea side evoke will be how it fails to provide any justification of the financial input from the last transfer window. In truth, the new-look Chelsea has plenty about them. But, older gems like forwards Christian Pulisic and Callum Hudson Odoi are ever lively either side of the ever-involved Olivier Giroud whenever he is featured alongside.
The presence of new man Jorginho keeps things tickling at the base of midfield with the consequent freeing up of the ever-reliable N’Golo Kante to make inroads into the opposition area while youngster Mason Mount gets far more involved on the ball towards the attack line.
It just does not seem to click some of the time. For instance in the second half against Aston Villa, full back Andreas Christensen’s attempt to make a tactical foul on the impressive villa midfield commander, Jack Grealish backfired badly to leave him stranded on the ground and looking in vain for a referee’s decision as the goal came from the very area he would have been marshalling had he been back on his feet.
Had the defence been as organised as Lampard’s midfield and forward line, one of the trio of Ben Chilwell, Antonio Rudiger or Cesar Azpilicueta ought to have been there right behind Christensen’s error to clear the danger and prevent the equaliser. With that, the game and the points could easily have gone Chelsea’s way. But, it was not to be.
However tough a fixture as it was, especially with the improving defense of the Villa side there was a lot to be encouraged by with the performance the team put up which will provide some encouragement for Lampard.
Yet, as with what is observable in the Arsenal team, younger and hungrier players are bringing to their teams a livelier sprit that is both adventurous and not risk averse. This injection of their pace and willingness to try something new contrasts with the older guard who are more conservative in their approach to the game and as such play at a level below not matching expectations and potential.
Chelsea’s young English talents Hudson-Odoi and Mount demonstrated this succinctly against Villa as they have been doing each time they have been included in the Matchday squad. It behoves of Lampard, as it does on his Arsenal counterpart Mikel Arteta, to see how he can channel that energetic spark constructively to boost the overall performance levels of the team to get the results they need to remain competitive at the top of the table with the pack that is chasing the title.
Lampard must know that a big part of his job this season is turning the summer’s mega-investment into on-pitch success, and the signs weren’t good for either Kai Havertz or Timo Werner when they came on in the second half, with both looking short on confidence and rather shoehorned into a line-up that lost cohesion following their introduction.
It appears those two will be finding more time on the bench than in the thick of the action. Because, there will be no comfort for the 42-year-old manager if he cannot arrest this recent slide and begin to edge his team once more towards title-contending places at the top of the table where the money pumped into the team merits them to be.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
