Frank Lampard attacked his squad’s mentality following Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat to Arsenal on Boxing Day.
The Blues boss told talkSPORT his players had to “take responsibility” after a first half in which they “lacked the basics of football”.
Only Tammy Abraham’s late consolation, originally ruled out for offside but reinstated by VAR, offered much hope. Jorginho then spurned any prospect of a late comeback by missing from the penalty spot in injury time.
A result which eased the pressure on Mikel Arteta has left his Chelsea counterpart under fresh scrutiny as his side slipped to seventh in the Premier League table. Lampard was keen to shift the blame onto his misfiring attack, particularly Timo Werner, who was hauled off at half-time.
The Germany international had two attempts, neither of which were on target, lost possession with almost half of his passes and failed to complete a single dribble. Lampard conceded his front man may be suffering from fatigue, adding that he wasn’t contributing enough “with or without the ball”.
Where has Werner gone wrong?
The most obvious reason for Werner’s malaise is Lampard playing him out wide rather than as an out-and-out striker. It’s now 10 games in all competitions since he last scored, though he does have eight goals and five assists since joining from RB Leipzig in the summer.
When his numbers are compared to the poor start of his attacking partner and international teammate Kai Havertz, there is no cause for alarm. Indeed, there are interesting parallels to be drawn between the two forwards, with Lampard seemingly unsure on how to utilise them best.
Havertz has posed a similar conundrum, playing alternately as a striker and out on the right.
For Werner, the contrast in his displays when playing in different roles has been stark. As a striker, he’s recorded two goals and two assists in three games. As a winger, he has the same number of goals – and just one more assist – from 12 matches.
Having spent a combined £120 million on the duo, it is difficult for Lampard to dispense with one, but he also needs to incorporate Abraham. Callum Hudson-Odoi impressed too after coming on, and then there is the perpetually under-used Olivier Giroud.
In other areas, Chelsea’s summer transfers have provided obvious solutions to previous long-standing problems. Ben Chilwell has been a marked improvement on Marcos Alonso and, but for a few errors, Edouard Mendy looks to be far more reliable than Kepa Arrizabalaga. Such additions have not presented tactical challenges. The measure of Lampard will be in how he adapts to those players who force upon him more rigorous thinking.
Chelsea have only once beaten a team in the top half this season, losing four and drawing four of their opening 15 games. That is not catastrophic form, but nor is it the mark of potential title-winners.
Is that an unreasonable expectation for a club who spent in excess of £200m this summer? Roman Abramovich might contend it is not, but at arm’s length he casts less of a shadow over his current manager than he has previous incumbents of the Stamford Bridge hot seat.
Chelsea’s summer spending
- Kai Havertz (£72m)
- Timo Werner (£47.7m)
- Ben Chilwell (£45.18m)
- Hakim Ziyech (£36m)
- Edouard Mendy (£21.6m)
- Malang Sarr (Free transfer)
- Thiago Silva (Free transfer)
The former England midfielder is at least spared Arteta’s fate. There is less general doom-mongering surrounding his defeats, but the performances of signings like Werner do warrant a little probing over how they are being used in Lampard’s system.
Chelsea are back in action on Monday in the late kick-off against Aston Villa. They will then enjoy almost a week off before the more daunting prospect of hosting Manchester City.
Moving Werner into a more central role will be one quick fix, but questions will remain over the exorbitant squad which has been assembled and whether Lampard’s group are being used to full effect.
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