With just about forty-eight hours to recover from the crushing defeat against a struggling Arsenal side, Frank Lampard’s Chelsea welcome high flying Aston Villa. After a poor run of form which has seen the Blues lose three out of their last four Premier League games, they will be looking to bounce back. Aston Villa are in good spirits after beating Crystal Palace 3-0 despite being reduced to ten men at half time.
Given the current fixture pile up and the recent poor performances, Lampard might be forced to rotate his squad to keep their top four hopes alive. Hakim Ziyech is still unavailable with a hamstring injury. Fullbacks Reece James and Ben Chilwell, both started in the defeat to Arsenal despite injury doubts. But Lampard might rest them both after
they both struggled on Saturday.
Let us now take a look at how Frank Lampard might set up his misfiring Chelsea team against Aston Villa.
THE 4-3-3
Frank Lampard has fielded his team in the 4-3-3 system for most of the games this season and Edouard Mendy is expected to retain his place between the posts. Emerson Palmieri and Cesar Azpilicueta might replace the usual duo of Reece James and Ben Chilwell to avoid worsening their injuries. Thiago Silva and Zouma have formed a solid partnership over the course of this season and will be looking to keep the Villa attackers in check.
In the midfield three, Kai Havertz is likely to replace Mason Mount who might be rested to avoid burnout. Havertz has failed to live up to his huge price tag and this is a huge opportunity for him to show his abilities in the final third. N’golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic are likely to keep their places in the starting XI and have the huge task of holding down Jack Grealish.
Pulisic was the only Chelsea player who caused problems to the Arsenal defence in the weekend with his dribbling and blistering pace. He will most likely replace Timo Werner on the left wing with the latter looking really low on confidence with his ongoing goal drought. This opens the path for Callum Hudson-Odoi to start on the right hand side.
THE 4-2-3-1
Another option for Lampard is fielding a 4-2-3-1 system with Jorginho and Kante as the defensive midfielders meaning freedom for struggling Kai Havertz in the No.10 role. With the threat provided out wide from Aston Villa wingers Bertrand Traore and Anwar El Ghazi, this system can help Chelsea maintain a wider defensive shape to counter that threat. Olivier Giroud fits better than Tammy Abraham in this system due to his superior aerial presence and hold up play.
For Chelsea, this is a must win game but it is not going to be easy as Villa have done very well this season after struggling last season. The main area of concern will be their defence, as Chelsea have conceded too many cheap goals. Lampard was furious with the team against Arsenal and wants a strong response from his men against Aston Villa.
THE 3-4-3
The 3-4-3 is the only other system Lampard has used at Chelsea but it is highly unlikely to be used against Aston Villa. The Aston Villa side might be difficult to break down but Chelsea should be expected to win the game. But the game will be an entertaining one for the neutrals and is expected to be open for both the sides.
