FOR Frank Lampard, it is at Stamford Bridge where he hopes his new signings will have the biggest impact.
Last season, the Blues had the worst home form in the top six and West Ham scored as many as them.
Timo Werner is a deadly finisher and will relish Chelsea’s midfield creativity
Fellow new boy Kai Havertz will add a much needed creative streak
In comparison, only three teams got more points than them on the road and only Man City scored more goals.
It showed where their strengths were in the last campaign – on the counter and with less of the ball.
At home, they struggled, mainly because teams knew how to get one over on them; sitting back and giving them the ball and looking to frustrate.
But now, Lampard’s Chelsea finally have the players creative enough to open teams up – and then be clinical enough to take full advantage.
The likes of Kai Havertz operate best in tight spaces, and the young German midfielder will add that extra dynamic when opening up tight defences.
And when fit, that’s exactly what Hakim Ziyech can bring also from out wide.
And in Timo Werner, they have a deadly finisher that rarely lets chances pass him by – a dream attacking partner for someone like Havertz.
Lampard now has gamechangers in his squad – both in his starting XI and also on the bench to really mix it with both Liverpool and Man City this year.
And importantly, he has the ability to do it the Jurgen Klopp way or the Pep Guardiola way.
Klopp’s Liverpool have a predictable and consistent starting XI – last season they had seven players who started 30 games or more.
And with Pep’s City, you never really know what system and what faces he will go with when the team sheets come out, partly because of the strength in depth that he has.
Lampard can now do it both ways. If his team is playing well he can stick with one line-up, but if he encounters issues or wants to adapt for new opposition he can do as well.
Sometimes we get carried away with new signings and expect a manager to get them all into the starting XI at the same time, but that should not be the case.
And Frank may be seen as the good guy in football, but he has shown from last season and with Derby County that he is not afraid to make tough decisions and leave out big names.
Whether it is Werner, Havertz, Ziyech, Ben Chilwell or Thiago Silva, I am sure all will taste the subs bench at some point this season.
But it will be done to reach the club’s collective goal – bridging the gap between Man City and Liverpool. They finished 33 points behind the latter last year.
Where that begins is the start of the season. At the start of the last campaign Chelsea won just two of their first six games. They cannot afford to do that this time around.
Eden Hazard steps up training after angering Real Madrid by returning from summer break overweight
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
