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The departure of Eden Hazard is bound to leave a gaping hole in the Chelsea team. For the Blues to remain competitive, other midfielders of the team need to step up. Fortunately for their fans, the Chelsea midfield has been excellent this pre-season. The likes of Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, Ross Barkley, and Jorginho have been very fluid and adaptable in the center of the field. This though is definitely going to lead to selection problems.
Chelsea have a host of midfielders to choose from and all of them have unique abilities. To start off with they have Mateo Kovacic, N'Golo Kante, Ross Barkley, Mason Mount, Jorginho, Timeoue Bakayoko, Danny Drinkwater and Ruben Loftus Cheek. Furthermore, if they need more players, Lampard could come of the bench! Jokes aside, though, the manager has a job on his hands.
In this article, we look at the strengths of each player and how Lampard could potentially line up the midfield.
Jorginho
For all the stick Jorginho got from Chelsea fans last season, he is an incredible passer. He is composed on the ball, even though he often gets it in tight situations. His work-rate off the ball is underrated.
While he may not be on the same level as Cesc Fabregas when it comes to finding that final ball, he definitely keeps the game ticking and is a leader on the field. His position though does not allow him to be too involved in goal scoring. Whatever formation Chelsea lines up in, he is going to be a deep-lying midfielder.
Mateo Kovacic
Mateo Kovacic is an incredible dribbler and can carry the ball from midfield. Furthermore he has great work-rate off ball. He probably is the second best player off the ball in this current Chelsea team. (Kante being the first) . He is a decent passer but really needs to work on his finishing.
Mason Mount
Mason Mount is not an amazing dribbler like Kovacic or an amazing passer like Jorginho but he is a better finisher than both those players; he is good off the ball too. He would most likely be suited to the CAM position rather than the CM.
Ruben Loftus Cheek
Ruben Loftus Cheek is injured and may take time to get back into the team. Having said that, he is an incredible player. He is a great dribbler and can bully people off the ball (similar to Hazard). He is also good in tight spaces and can play anywhere in midfield. He can even play on the wing, if needed. However, he is average off the ball.
Ross Barkley
Ross Barkley is not the best dribbler on this list. He is not great in tight spaces and often stays on the ball for too long. He does have a great shot in him and has great positioning sense. Furthermore he is decent off the ball. He too would be more ideal to the CAM position, rather than CM.
N'Golo Kanté
Everyone knows how good N'Golo Kante is. A machine off the ball, Kante is Chelsea's engine. He is also an underrated passer and dribbler. He will most likely occupy one of the two holding roles that are available in that Chelsea midfield.
Danny Drinkwater and Timeoue Bakayoko, the other two options for Lampard, may struggle to break in to the first team considering the options at his disposal.
Conclusion
If Kante is fit he is bound to start, which leaves only two positions up for grabs. Jorginho too should start with Kante, at least at the start of the season. The one position left is very subjective. Barkley is more suited to the CAM role but Lampard may go for Kovacic. Having said that, both are great picks.
If Kante is injured, Kovacic will slip back, and Barkley or Mount will play CAM. Finally, if Jorginho does not play well, he might even get replaced by Kovacic. It really depends on how Lampard wants his team to play. Some possible combinations are mentioned below.
Most Enegetic Lineup - Kante - Kovacic - Mount
Most Creative Lineup - Jorginho - Kovacic - Loftus Cheek
Most balanced lineup - Jorginho - Kante - Kovacic/Barkley/Mount
