In the summer of 2018, Chelsea FC decided to sack manager Antonio Conte after a dismal outing, securing 5th spot in the Premier League. The Italian had led the Blues to a Premier League title the previous season, but his side didn’t win any silverware, except the FA Cup in the 2017/18 season.
Conte was stripped off his role at the end of the season and another Italian succeeded him at the helm, Mauricio Sarri. Sarri was given the role because of his hand in Napoli’s 2nd place-finish behind Juventus in Serie-A. Sarri’s Napoli side had registered the highest points ever by a team finishing 2nd in the Serie-A.
At Napoli, Sarri had got the Naples side to play a possession-based style of football with quick movements on and off the ball. Insigne, Mertens, and Jorginho flourished under the system and the type of football played was branded as “Sarri-ball”. Sarri arrived in London with his prodigal son Jorginho, whom Chelsea FC had signed for €57m. Chelsea broke the bank to bring in Kepa Arrizabalaga for a World-record transfer fee for a goalkeeper, of €71.4m. Mateo Kovacic also arrived from Real Madrid on-loan. Sarri had a great team at his disposal and had got the players he wanted to impose his style of play on the Chelsea FC team. Let us have a look at the team he used the most.
Sarri had earlier managed Empoli and Napoli, where he used the 4-3-3 to great effect, and was keen to do the same with Chelsea. He moved Kante from defensive midfield to play a box-to-box role and used Jorginho as a ‘Regista’. A Regista is a player who plays in front of the defence, but with less defensive responsibilities. His main motive is to keep the play ticking by making forward or side-way passes. Kovacic and Barkley were constantly substituted for one another in almost every match, as they had similar capabilities. Both players were technically good and could carry the ball through the midfield. Hazard was seen as the main creator of chances from the left, and he was given the license to play a free role.
He had a good start to life in Chelsea FC with the team adapting well to the new system. Sarri became the first manager to remain undefeated throughout his first 12 Premier League matches. But soon, everything was about to change dramatically. Sarri’s game-plan was too predictable and Pochetino, of Spurs, had found a loop-hole in the system. Tottenham man-marked Jorginho and the result was fruitful, suddenly Chelsea FC had no playmaker and didn’t know what to do when they got the ball. Jorginho, being very slow, was run past with ease by the likes of Son and Dele Alli. The match ended in a 3-1 win for Spurs and soon every side that played Chelsea FC used the same tactics to great effect. Sarri-ball was very effective in the Serie-A, but the fast-paced Premier League dismantled the basic principles behind Sarri-ball.
Sarri was too stout and stubborn to change his system and got thrashed against big teams. His biggest loss came at the hands of Manchester City, a 6-0 battering at the Etihad Stadium. Players had lost faith under Sarri but somehow managed to pick up some good results along the way. By the end of the season, Chelsea FC won the Europa League and was placed 3rd in the Premier League despite the disgust of the fans and the Board. Sarri’s style was considered as stagnant and he didn’t want to change his system. Sarri departed just after one season, to manage Juventus, and Chelsea FC’s one of the all-time top scorers, Frank Lampard replaced him at the helm.
After being on a spending spree for a couple of seasons, Chelsea FC was slapped with a transfer ban for the summer window of 2019. The exit of their talisman Eden Hazard also didn’t help their cause. Frank Lampard was left with a team that his predecessors had built, but also had some great youngsters from the Blues academy at his disposal. For years now, Chelsea FC had been known for buying superstars and not giving a chance to their Academy graduates. But with the transfer ban, the youngsters finally had an opportunity to shine for their parent club after being on loan at other clubs.
Lampard brought back Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori, whom he had managed at Derby County and Tammy Abraham, who scored 25 goals in the Championship with Aston Villa. Kurt Zouma also returned from Everton after an impressive season. Before the ban was imposed Chelsea FC also had secured the services of the talented winger Christian Pulisic from Dortmund. Lampard wasn’t helped with the fact that Kante and Rudiger were injured at the beginning of the season.
Let us have a look at the teams and the systems Lampard has used this season (2019/20).
Lampard has used a couple of systems and has been vastly flexible this season. He sets up his team according to the opposition and the players at his disposal, as Chelsea FC has had a lot of players injured this season. He has used the 4-2-3-1, then 4-3-3, and even the complex 3-4-3 in games. The attacking forces of his Chelsea FC side have been good, whereas his defence has let him down several times. Under Lampard, Chelsea FC has played fluidic attacking based football, where the attack has mainly been down the flanks by creating overloads. Both Giroud and Abraham possess great aerial prowess.
The 4-2-3-1 formation was seen as more favourable for Jorginho and the team. Jorginho had support with him in the centre of the park and the defence had more than one option to pass out to. But in Lampard’s first appearance in the Premier League as a manager, Manchester United ran riot defeating Chelsea 4-0 at Old Trafford. Chelsea FC played well and had 2 shots hit the goal post, but United played counter-attacking football and scored in all their chances.
After the defeat at the hands of United, Chelsea FC has done quite well for a young team. The 4-3-3 has been used to great effect by Lampard, but it isn’t quite similar to that used by Sarri. Tomori and Christensen are very good in the air and defensively and Kante also protects Jorginho in the midfield. The Italian is still the playmaker, but the pace of Pulisic, Mount, and Willian upfront, has hugely impacted Jorginho’s game. The full-backs are allowed to join their respective wingers in attack and create overloads along with a drifting midfielder, mostly Kovacic. The striker along with the opposite winger and full back flood the box and are ready to pounce on the crosses. Using Kante’s defensive abilities, Lampard has used this system with great effect.
The 3-4-3 is a complex formation where the wing-backs need a lot of stamina to go up and down the flanks, for the entire match. Thus, the young Reece James has been used in place of Azpilicueta, and he has been a great asset to the Chelsea FC side. He is a good crosser of the ball and is defensively balanced as well. Jorginho is generally omitted in this formation because of his defensive liability and lack of pace. This system is used by Lampard against teams that sit back in a low block and defend. The objective is to flood attackers in the final third to create chances against a stout opponent.
Lampard’s reign can be considered successful this season (2019/20) in the Premier League, despite the dip in form mid-season, as Chelsea FC sit in the top 4. He can now have the players he wants at Chelsea FC and has already secured the services of Hakim Ziyech from Ajax and Timo Werner from RB Leipzig. Both the players will provide Chelsea FC with great attacking flair. Lampard is in the look-out of a left-back as well. With all the great additions to the already good Chelsea FC side, Lampard is destined to get titles and trophies with Chelsea FC.
