Chelsea face Manchester United next at Old Trafford as Lampard and his men are eager to get all three points from their arch-rivals. Chelsea have played poorly in the recent past and have easily let the opposition score goals and come back into the game to take away a point. But with several key men back in the squad and fit to play, Lampard will look to get the better of Solskjaer and take all three points.
With Ziyech, Pulisic, Silva and Mendy back to full fitness, Chelsea will be expected to put up a very strong lineup. Lampard will have to make some tough choice while selecting his starting XI. Manchester United have gained confidence after their victory against PSG and thus need to kept quiet throughout the game.
Let us now look at how Chelsea might lineup against Manchester United in the Premier League this weekend.
THE 4-2-3-1
This might be Chelsea’s best starting XI, at least on paper, with all their best players on the pitch together. But the problem for Lampard will be to instil the same mindset in all these superstars and put them in a system that works together well. The front-four of this team is one of the best and fastest in the Premier League but the defence will have to be on their best game.
Looking at United’s pace in counter-attacks, the Chelsea full-backs and holding midfielders will have to be wary. Jorginho is in very good form and is a classy playmaker, but his lack of pace in the midfield might cause problems to Chelsea. Thus, Kante will have to be at his defensive best and Thiago Silva will have to marshal his defences well.
Lampard will have to be tactically strong in such a game so that Chelsea don’t play it into the opponents’ hands.
THE 4-3-3
The 4-3-3 will give Lampard and Chelsea more solidity and more men in the midfield, which will allow Chelsea to have a better grip over the game. Frank Lampard always starts Mason Mount because of his high work ethic and the same might be the case against United as well. Kante doesn’t seem comfortable in the box-to-box role but his defensive abilities are a must, especially with Jorginho on the pitch.
The likes of James and Chilwell will be pivotal to the Blues, both attacking wise and defensively too. With the inverted wingers, the full-backs will be responsible to provide width but will also have to track back when United hit on the counter. On the right-wing, Lampard will have to make a tough decision as Havertz and Ziyech are now both fit to start.
THE 3-4-3
The last time these two sides met, Lampard used the 3-4-3 to great effect to get the better of Solskjaer. This time he has better personnel thus he might be tempted to go for this system again. It might be the right way to approach the game as United have a strong midfield and attack and are extremely quick in transitions.
But it is unlikely for Lampard to use this system as this system will not be able to accommodate Chelsea’s best players.
