Chelsea have certainly had an entertaining season under Frank Lampard, with goals galore in almost every match.
On the upside, the Blues have looked dangerous and free flowing in attack, and they’ve shaken off the slow and stale football that they often slipped into under Maurizio Sarri.
On the downside however, they’re looked incredibly defensively vulnerable against even the very weakest teams.
The two they shipped against Borussia Monchengladbach yesterday were just the latest soft goals that Lampard’s team have allowed in a preseason that has dragged up major defensive issues.With just a week until we kick off the season against Manchester United, these issues will be at the forefront of our new manager’s mind.
There are a few things he can tweak to try and shore up his back-line, but some things are beyond his control.The transfer ban has prevented him from signing new players at the back, and while he has plenty of talent there, he will have to decide how to use it.Emerson and Azpilicueta seem locked in at full back, with David Luiz almost certain to play in the middle.
Lampard’s first big call is who to partner the Brazilian with in António Rudiger’s continuing absence. Neither Andreas Christensen nor Kurt Zouma have really grabbed their chance to be that player.
His other big call is also injury related. The absence of N’Golo Kante from the team in this preseason – with the exception of a cameo yesterday – has really shown the lack of a shielding player to protect the back four. Does Lampard throw the Frenchman in half fit at Old Trafford? After the stinking defensive showings we’ve seen so far, he might now feel he has to.
