Tammy Abraham’s monstrous display may have reinvigorated the groundswell of youthful optimism after the international break, but consistency is the key to establishing a legacy and Valencia could well prove a thankless task for Frank Lampard as he seeks to record his first victory on home soil.
Whether or not injuries to N’Golo Kante and Emerson forced Lampard’s hand, the decision to move to a 3-4-3 had all the rose-tinted presage and peripeteia of Chelsea’s infamous second-half shut out against Arsenal, as Marcos Alonso was restored to his former glory alongside a gun-slinging front line spearheaded by a number nine with a ruthless vendetta spurring him on.
There are still issues surrounding a defence uncomfortable at set-pieces and rash in their decision making when Antonio Rudiger is absent, but the positive signs far outweighed any lingering concentration issues that Saturday’s result may have thrown up, and Chelsea will need to build on this newfound confidence in order to kickstart their Champions League campaign.
Here is our predicted XI for Tuesday’s tie with Valencia.
