Chelsea will host Sheffield United on Saturday in the premier league on Saturday with Chelsea looking for their first clean sheet of the season. Chelsea has conceded 7 goals in three matches in the league this season and conceded twice against Liverpool in the super cup eventually losing on penalties.
Lampard has gone with the same back four in all four of Chelsea’s matches this season and his options have been limited with David Luiz’s departure to Arsenal and injuries to the first-choice center back Antonio Rudiger and second choice right-back Reece James.
Rudiger is expected to start when fully fit and it will be interesting to see who starts alongside the German international. Andreas Christensen is the favorite to start alongside Rudiger but with Rudiger preferring to play on the right of the two center-halves Christensen will have to adjust his game to play on the left of the two.
Christensen has started on the right with Kurt Zouma on the left this season and Lampard might pick a defender more natural playing on the left in which case Kurt Zouma might get the nod on Saturday.
Cesar Azpilicueta has started at right-back so far this season, the Chelsea captain was criticized after being at fault for two goals against United and a goal against Liverpool.
Azpilicueta is a solid defender but does not offer much going forward and Lampard who likes to play an offensive brand of football will be looking for more from his full-backs going forward, Azpilicueta will be under pressure to perform once Reece James returns from injury with Lampard rating the academy graduate very highly.
At left-back Emerson has truly dislodged Marcos Alonso after the Spanish International suffered a huge dip in form last season. Marcos Alonso started last season brightly but his lack of pace was exposed towards the end of the season and was replaced by Emerson in the starting 11.
Emerson is not afraid to get into advanced positions but his lack of athleticism has been exposed at times this season on the counter-attack.
Chelsea’s back four will get much more protection when N’golo Kante returns from injury, the diminutive midfielders tireless running allows the full-backs to get forward because he covers the spaces left by the full-backs. Lampard will hope that Kante puts his injury troubles behind him if Chelsea has any chance of making the top four in the premier league this season.
