The thinly veiled nostalgic grandeur that has encapsulated a fan base so unequivocally despondent with the taciturn effectiveness of the previous regime, must now give way to the mooted acceptance of a season distinctly lacking in prospects beyond the return of a club legend exuding the golden haze of Chelsea’s postmillennial boom.
A transfer ban hangs over the club, making the task of domestic and European dominance an almost Leicester sized improbability, whilst the creaking’s of age rattle around the squad with a fatalistic inescapability of the post Christmas malaise that has become a permanent fixture in Chelsea’s schedule over the past few seasons. Both Antonio Conte and Maurizio Sarri squandered their shot at longevity through dismal winter periods.
Youth has emerged as the endearing beacon of hope for the upcoming season, with Lampard’s lack of experience being deceptively misinterpreted as a watertight policy for the progression of academy products so starved of opportunity under previous managers.
But whilst this Nixonian pessimism is relevant to ensuring Lampard doesn’t become buoyed by the preaching’s of Icarus, he does appear to be at the forefront of promoting the unpredictable energy of Callum Hudson-Odoi, Mason Mount and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who have all shown themselves to be central to the Blues’s age of instability.
The savvy acquisition of Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic has added experience and dynamism to the ranks, and whilst criminally misused last campaign, his ball progression and dribbling numbers make him the ideal player for a team lacking incisive fluidity to their transition play.
The aforementioned Mount and the revitalised figure of Ross Barkley give Chelsea another goal-scoring option in midfield, with the pair mirroring the same late runs into the box that their manager made famous during his trophy-laden stint at the club.
The issues going forward remain the lack of an out and out striker capable of, as Mark Corrigan once remarked, ‘sticking it right in their goal hole’.
Olivier Giroud provides excellent hold-up play but without the prolific streak of a poacher – but Chelsea’s abysmal cross conversion rates make for bad reading if you’re a well-groomed French target man.
Michy Batshuayi, on the other hand, does offer the sort of predatory instincts that Giroud lacks, but his movement off the ball often isolates him from play and he suffers from a naive inability to break the offside trap effectively.
Finally you land yourself with the wildly unproven Tammy Abraham, whose breakthrough campaign at Stamford Bridge must be capped with a fruitful return of goals or else risk his Chelsea career ending before its even begun, as Lampard will surely be in the market for a striker come the end of the season should Abraham fail to prove his worth.
Out wide Chelsea possess real quality, albeit with the caveat of Pedro and Willian entering the twilight of their respective careers, and Hudson-Odoi’s ability to cross the ball almost single-handedly makes up for his teammate’s failings in said department. Cesar Azpilicueta achieved a meagre cross accuracy of 19% whilst Marcos Alonso managed to find his man with just 10% of his crosses.
Christian Pulisic comes with a hefty price tag and a reputation befitting of a Chelsea winger, all style no substance. The American posted somewhat underwhelming numbers at Borussia Dortmund (14 goals and 15 assists in over 70 appearances), but his turn of pace and close control will catch out the majority of Premier League defences, and with such defined qualities to his game, there is undeniable potential that if nurtured correctly he could lead to a Sterling-Esque development in Pulisic’s goal-scoring output.
N’Golo Kante has been restored to his natural position, and alongside a deeper-lying reincarnation of Italian regista Jorginho Chelsea look well-stocked to try and turn over possession, whilst simultaneously covering for Chelsea’s leaky defence.
As for the infamous defence, without Antonio Rudiger, they appear timid, lacking in leadership and incapable of defending set-pieces competently.
Disturbing trends have appeared throughout pre-season, with Chelsea’s full-backs’ narrow positioning allowing for overlaps, which lead free runners to peel off the back and pick up the ball unopposed inside the area. This issue stems from the Blues’s centre-halves failing to aggressively close down the ball on the edge of the area, something clear leadership and organisation would clear up quickly, with designated roles given to each defender to either close down or cover.
A slow start may help to eradicate some of the wildly misplaced optimism, but with a squad suffering from a transfer ban it is more likely that Chelsea will only begin to truly suffer come the turn of the year.
The size of their squad will be stretched and injuries will begin to manifest themselves with the same menace that threatened to derail the club’s ambitions of European silverware and a top-four finish last season – all I must say skilfully overcome by a manager who has endured at least five seasons at the top of the European game, and is well versed in how strenuous a top-flight campaign can be for fitness and form.
Lampard meanwhile will be embarking on just his second ever season in management, and whilst he may bring renewed hope and fresh ideas to the table, it will be a true testament to his reputation if he can successfully weather the impending storm that will surface from January through to March.
