'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
An opening day loss and a frustrating home draw leave Chelsea Football Club in 15th place in the Premier League table. There have been some positives and some negatives, but despite being realistic, Chelsea fans could have hoped for a better start to the season under their erstwhile player and club legend Frank Lampard, who is now the manager of the club.
Chelsea faced Manchester United at Old Trafford in the first gameweek, where the Red Devils exploited each and every weakness the Blues had and demolished them by a scoreline of 4-0.
After a midweek Super Cup loss to Liverpool in which the team played really well compared to the United game, it was time to host Leicester at Stamford Bridge. This was Lampard's homecoming, and there is no doubt every fan expected a victory in the boss' first game at the Bridge. Chelsea dominated the game after scoring early but were held to a frustrating draw when the Foxes equalized in the second half.
With one point from two games and one of the worst starts to the season for Chelsea, there is definitely something wrong with the squad and the coaching staff. Today we take a look at the top three things going wrong for Frank Lampard at Chelsea.
#3 Shambolic set-piece strategy
The first point which every analyst of the game could point out is Chelsea's clear weakness in set-pieces.Even if the Blues did not concede from a set-piece in the 4-0 loss to Manchester United, it was probably because every attempt United had from open play in the final third was converted by them.
Chelsea lacked confidence in defending set-pieces on each instance. In the Super Cup, fans spotted N'Golo Kante man-marking Virgil van Dijk in a corner, which is suicidal when it comes to defending against a team with a huge average squad height.
Mason Mount has been assigned with the corner-taking duties when the team is attacking, but the deliveries by the youngster have been far from even average, for the players in the box to get something out of them.
Lampard needs to overhaul his set-piece strategies as soon as possible so that they can once again become a side which was one of the best set-piece attackers and defenders in England a few years ago.
#2 Over-reliance on youngsters
Chelsea might have been affected by the transfer ban, and it is obvious Frank Lampard might be having nightmares about team selection all week long, but still there is no dearth of experienced talent in the squad at the manager's disposal.
Lampard played Mount and Tammy Abraham against Manchester United which was a gamble which didn't pay off for the English player turned coach. There were Christian Pulisic or Ross Barkley and Olivier Giroud fully fit and available for the game, who have Premier League and top-flight experience.
The importance of spreading some experienced players in the squad, and not just youngsters straight from the academy, was revealed against Liverpool, when Giroud and Pulisic put up a massive performance for Chelsea.
Lampard should actually consider having a good distribution of experienced players with the youth in the first team, as after the first two disappointing results, every game is a big game for the Blues at least for the coming weeks.
#1 The second-half strategy
Chelsea FC v Leicester City.
It has been a problem with Chelsea for the past few seasons that despite starting strong and even having the lead in the first half, the Blues appear to be under a lot of pressure in the second half.
The Blues' boss called for more personality from the squad after the Leicester draw. He said, "We need to be ready when the game leaves us to grab it back. You need personality."
Chelsea are accused of sitting back and defending after taking the lead. This gives the opposition that much-needed momentum to find gaps in the defense and score important goals which decide the game. This strategy goes back to Jose Mourinho's spells with the Blues, but what's important to note is that Chelsea had experience and some of the world's best defenders back then.
Now as the era of John Terry, Alex, David Luiz and even Gary Cahill has ended, Chelsea aren't one of the best defending setups in England. The best way for the Chelsea side would be to keep attacking and not give the opposition much possession to dominate the game.
Kurt Zouma and Andreas Christensen have been showing signs of improvement after the United game but still have a long way to go. Return of Antonio Rudiger might just bring back the much-needed composure in the back four for Chelsea.
One can only hope Lampard finds his solutions to these three issues in the squad, considering the departure of their talisman, appointment of a not so experienced coach and a transfer ban.
