West Brom woes leave Lampard in familiar territory with defence

Usually a last-minute equaliser is greeted with celebrations. Even more so if it arrives after your team was 3-0 down at half-time. Not for Chelsea, though, and certainly not for Frank Lampard. At least not on Saturday night at the Hawthorns, where the visitors salvaged a point having conceded three goals to newly-promoted West Brom, who came into the game on zero points from two Premier League matches so far this season.

As Tammy Abraham poked the ball into an empty net in injury time, the BBC’s Guy Mowbray commented that the draw “will feel like a win”. Far from it, as Lampard made clear in his post-match interview. This is not a result that will kick-start Chelsea’s season, nor an impressive rally against a side that had conceded eight goals in their first two games of the season. Instead, it was a reminder of the task that the club’s record goal scorer has on his hands to make his side title-challengers once more.

With half an hour gone the visitors trailed by three, having been punished for just as many moments of weakness. This despite a defensive reshuffle following defeat to Liverpool last Sunday. Out went Kepa Arrizabalaga, whose lack of confidence (or overabundance, perhaps) could well see him permanently out of Lampard’s thinking. Edouard Mendy, who joined from Rennes this week, was not deemed ready, meaning that Willy Caballero was handed a starting spot in goal. Within four minutes Callum Robinson had beaten him, with Arrizabalaga explaining to his fellow substitutes exactly how he would have saved it. A penny for their thoughts at that moment.

Thiago Silva and Ben Chilwell are summer signings who are no doubt an upgrade on Lampard’s previous options and have generated plenty of excitement. Both made their club debuts against Barnsley in the EFL Cup in midweek but there was only a starting place for the former on Saturday, thrust into Premier League action with the captain’s armband. It was an afternoon to forget for the Brazilian, marked by an uncharacteristic error to gift the hosts a second goal. Meanwhile, Chilwell was omitted entirely for incumbent Marcos Alonso; like Silva, he did not cover himself in glory.

Silva’s error just one problem for Lampard

Alonso’s credentials as a wing-back, a position in which he thrived as part of Antonio Conte’s championship winning side of 2016/2017, are rarely called into question due to his attacking abilities. However, while Lampard opted for a back three in the final 20 minutes on Saturday as his side chased an equaliser, this was born out of necessity rather than a long-term vision, with Kai Havertz and substitute Callum Hudson-Odoi on the wings ahead of Reece James as a third centre-back.

Instead, given the number of forwards in his squad, Lampard is likely to prefer a back four, a system to which the Spaniard is less suited. It will surely only be a matter of time before we see Chilwell stationed on the left wing. Nonetheless, this does not excuse, nor explain, Alonso’s errors at the Hawthorns. His cushioned header that led to the hosts’ opener was lazy, as was leaving Kyle Bartley free at a set-piece for the Baggies’ third.

Similarly, Silva spent the large part of last season operating on the right of a centre-back pairing at PSG alongside the left-footed Prisnel Kimpembe. On Saturday he made his Chelsea bow on the other side as Andreas Christensen was recalled to the starting XI. While this may have impacted upon the Brazilian’s footwork as his slip let in Callum Robinson for West Brom’s second, the 36-year-old is experienced enough to know better than to show such a lapse in concentration. Granted, the Blues (Reds? “Ember Glows”?) had been in control of possession, and Silva has been signed not only to bring defensive stability and leadership, but also to help build play from the back. Unfortunately, in this instance he neglected the former, a fundamental, in order to attempt the latter, with disastrous results.

What of the screen in front of the defence? Clearly Lampard did not think that Jorginho’s performances to date warranted him a third start of the season, instead electing to field Mateo Kovacic alongside N’golo Kante. It would be difficult to judge the Croatian’s defensive performance here, given that he was substituted at half time when Chelsea had enjoyed 77% of possession in the opening 45 minutes. Until then only Kante and James had seen more of the ball, while the fact he completed 54 of his 58 attempted passes suggests that the 3-0 deficit should not rest with him. Lampard’s admiration of former Chelsea academy player Declan Rice is no secret. Should he be successful in his pursuit of the England international, be it this summer or next, it will be interesting to see whether he features in midfield, as he does at West Ham, or in defence.

Defensive problems persist

Lampard commented after the game that the match had been “a big lesson for us”, but it has been far from their first under his stewardship. Although each of West Brom’s goals can be attributed to individual errors, this has been a concern since his first match in charge last summer ended in a 4-0 defeat at Manchester United.

His first term saw Chelsea concede 54 goals in the Premier League, more than any other side in the top ten; no top-flight side conceded more than the 38 they did away from home (an average of two per game). Defensive frailties were largely compensated for by 69 goals (the third-highest in the division), as well as good will toward the new manager in what was largely viewed as a transitional period.

The major test for Lampard now is whether he can turn this around. His side conceded 15 goals in nine league matches following the restart in 2019/20 (an average of 1.67 per game) in comparison with 39 goals against in their first 29 games (1.34 per game). Despite this increase, it is worth noting that they did keep four clean sheets in that summer spell, as many as they had in 20 league games prior to the break. Trips to West Ham, Sheffield United and Liverpool were responsible for 11 of the 15 goals they let in.

However, the early signs suggest that he has not managed to fix this problem in what has been an admittedly brief pre-season. This has, in fairness, been a trend across the Premier League. Chelsea’s draw with West Brom was just the 21st of a season that had witnessed 81 goals by the final whistle, just shy of four goals per game on average.

Bloated squad risks struggle to find winning formula

The attacking options at Lampard’s disposal are seen as an enviable luxury (six players have operated in forward positions so far this season, with Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic still sidelined). However, the opposite seems to be true at the other end of the field. The acquisition of Silva and Chilwell, along with free agent Malang Sarr and Mendy, leaves Chelsea with three first-team goalkeepers, six centre backs and five full backs. As with neighbours Arsenal, the defence was a position that needed to be strengthened but there must be some outgoings too. To date, there have been none.

An unpredictable forward line: yes. An unfamiliar defensive set-up: certainly not. Of course, things will look very different once everybody is available. Mendy must start ahead of Arrizabalaga and the underwhelming Caballero in goal. Chilwell looks set to be first-choice left back for the best part of a decade, while captain Azpilicueta and James will share duties on the other flank. The central pairing is harder to determine. Silva is, at least on paper, a guaranteed starter but at 36 cannot be part of Lampard’s long-term plans; for context, it was at this age that John Terry departed Stamford Bridge in 2017, while two years later Gary Cahill and David Luiz were deemed surplus to requirements at just 33 and 32 respectively (granted, the latter’s exit may have been for other reasons). Antonio Rudiger did not even feature in the EFL Cup win over Barnsley, while Fikayo Tomori’s appearance against Liverpool last weekend was just his fourth in all competitions in 2020.

That leaves Sarr, Christensen and Kurt Zouma as potential partners for the Brazilian. The former is the only one of the trio who is naturally-left footed, which would complement Silva nicely. However, the fact that he has not been handed a first-team squad number strongly hints that the 21-year-old is not in any immediate plans. Of the other two, Zouma has been the go-to left-sided defender, although Lampard’s decision to drop him on Saturday suggests that could mean little.

What next for Lampard and Chelsea?

Chelsea’s next game, a trip to Tottenham in the EFL Cup on Tuesday, could give a glimpse into what the future holds. Although traditionally an opportunity to rest first-team stars, this is nonetheless a derby against a bitter rival and Lampard must see his side gel quickly. Silva and Chilwell featured in the previous round and there would be no reason not to see at least the latter feature here, especially with four days’ rest before the visit of Crystal Palace.

Last season Lampard experimented with a number of defensive structures and personnel, and the results weren’t pretty. Four games into 2020/21 and it has been more of the same. Chelsea’s impressive transfer business implies that a man of his knowledge and doubtless ability knows exactly what he wants. Soon we will have to discover what that is and, crucially, whether it works.

Stats via Whoscored.