Frank Lampard could axe these five Chelsea stars
Chelsea’s 3-0 humbling at Bramall Lane will have left a sore taste in the mouth of manager Frank Lampard.
The abject performance threatened to undo a lot of good work done this season. It appeared the Blues had blown their shot at Champions League qualification before Leicester City returned the favour.
One thing is for clear; this cannot continue for long. However good the side may be going forward, a porous defence is always going to be a handicap threatening to implode.
According to Football.london, five defensive stalwarts could all face the axe. This includes Kepa Arrizabalaga, Antonio Rudiger, Kurt Zouma, Andreas Christensen and Jorginho.
The fact that three of our most used centre-backs this season feature on the list is a cause of concern. The Zouma-Rudiger partnership looked rudderless against Sheffield United. If the former should have done better for the first two goals, the latter was comedy central for the third.
Christensen too fails to inspire confidence and is not a leader at the back. The lack of a rallying point in the rearguard has been a constant source of frustration all season.
Kepa too has done little to suggest he is worthy of the tag of the world’s most expensive goalkeeper. Lacking in his ability to command and also inspire confidence, he was also dropped in favour of Willy Caballero earlier in the year.
An assured goalkeeper can be a difference-maker. The fortunes of Liverpool and Manchester City after the arrival of Alisson Becker and Ederson Moraes respectively are prime examples.
The Blues may have spent a fortune on Kepa. But he has not repaid that confidence. We cannot afford to have liability in the last line of defence.
Jorginho, on the other hand, has been quietly sidelined since the restart. It is debatable if he would even have started the last match had N’Golo Kante and Billy Gilmour been fit.
The Italian, who has looked off the pace, is a specialist player who can make a difference. However, the system at Chelsea does not suit him and it will be beneficial for both sides to part ways.
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The old adage ‘Attack wins you matches but defence wins you trophies’ holds true in our case.
For far too long has our backline got away with one comical error after another. The lack of confidence they inspire was apparent in the win over Crystal Palace.
The whole team looked vulnerable following Christian Benteke’s goal. We were lucky to come away with all three points. This cannot keep happening and some tough decisions will have to be taken this summer.