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Inexperienced Squad
Chelsea’s squad is the fourth-youngest in the Premier League this season with an average age of just 25.9 years. In fact, manager Frank Lampard put out the club’s most youthful starting XI (24y88d) in league history against Crystal Palace earlier this season. Perhaps, the transfer ban last summer came as a much-needed window of opportunity for Chelsea’s academy boys.
The club’s handling of young players and their loan policy has often been looked with a magnifying glass by fans and pundits, especially after they have, in the past, prematurely released some supremely-talented players such as Kevin de Bruyne, Mohamed Salah and Romelu Lukaku.
And Lampard, who himself is one of the youngest managers in the English top-flight and one of the all-time Premier League greats, is a perfect mentor for up-and-coming stars. His Derby County team in the Championship last season had Mason Mount (21), Fikayo Tomori (22) and Harry Wilson (22), all three of whom are thriving in the Premier League this season.
Chelsea’s young guns have no doubt treated fans with an exciting brand of football, however, their inexperience and rawness have cost the team several points this season. Tammy Abraham, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Reece James, Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic are all primed to be Premier League assets in the future, but their lack of leadership qualities and rash decision making has been a constant source of problems.
Chelsea have been unusually poor at Stamford Bridge this season, a stadium always known for its hostile atmosphere, due to the players’ weak-mindedness. They have also not been able to kill off games after taking the lead on several occasions, often found conceding silly counter-attacks leading to goals.
These second-half woes continued for Lampard’s men against Arsenal, as the Gunners, despite being down to 10-men, clawed their way back into the game. Even the boss has showcased his managerial inexpertise at times with poor in-game management, especially with ineffective and unnecessary substitutions. However, Lampard will now look to his seasoned quartet of Cesar Azpilicueta, Kante, Jorginho and Willian to set examples for the youngsters in the coming weeks.
