Chelsea suffered a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Everton at Goodison Park as Richarlison headed the home side into the lead after just five minutes before Dominic Calvert-Lewin pounced on a mistake by Kurt Zouma to make it 2-0.
Mateo Kovacic pulled a goal back with a precise volley but a dreadful pass from Kepa Arrizabalaga allowed Calvert-Lewin to make the game safe and earn a first win for caretaker Toffees boss Duncan Ferguson.
We look at the three things we learned after the recent defeat.
Chelsea need a new winger
Lampard has a £150million war-chest from player sales in the summer and is now free to strengthen his side after the club’s landmark legal victory with the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
One area that the club will look to strengthen is the right-wing area with Willian and Pedro set to leave in the summer and Callum Hudson-Odoi still seen as too raw to feature permanently.
Lampard brought on Callum Hudson-Odoi in place of Willian with Chelsea searching for an equalizer but the 18-year-old was unable to have an impact in the game. Pulisic also looked tired but Lampard lacked another option to replace him. Chelsea has been linked with Jadon Sancho recently and the club will do well to sign the Dortmund star. Sancho is a close friend of Callum Hudson-Odoi and Chelsea wants the pair to spearhead them for the next decade, with Christian Pulisic supplementing them.
Rudiger needs to return soon
Chelsea’s defensive frailties were exposed once again against Everton with Christensen and Zouma looking completely at sea. Christensen is a tidy passer of the ball but lacks the authority to dominate forwards in the manner we have seen Virgil van Dijk do in recent seasons.
Lampard will be boosted by Rudiger’s availability after he returned to full training. He has only played 45 minutes of first-team football under Lampard. Rudiger is likely to replace Christensen in the side and Lampard will expect Chelsea to be less porous with German at the back.
Lampard needs to accommodate Jorginho in the side
Frank Lampard again opted to leave Jorginho on the bench at Goodison Park after similarly excluding the midfielder in the win over Aston Villa, but this looked an unwise choice in the first half. Chelsea’s midfield looked slightly unsure of their positioning throughout, with Kante and Kovacic at times dragged wide and Mount keen to move forward. Jorginho brings a sense of calm to Chelsea’s midfield and the Italian international can keep the ball which was missing against Everton. With Kovacic in superb form and Kante virtually undroppable, Jorginho’s inclusion might come at the expense of Mason Mount who is a favorite of Lampard.
