Chelsea go into this game with N’Golo Kante on the injury list once again, and we will be able to learn a lot about Frank Lampard’s thinking going forward based on the team he picks.
Lampard made it clear yesterday that Kante’s absence has no specific end date, and it’s no longer just a case of picking players to fill in for him – we have to establish a functioning team that can work assuming the Frenchman is out.
Assuming Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic are certainties in midfield, the first question is whether the manager just slots Ross Barkley or Mason Mount into that third position. That’s the easy option.
The other alternative is switching to a 343, with those two in midfield and Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta pushing up, or the Spaniard moving into the back three with Reece James on the right.
There are plenty of options available for Frank, and it will be fascinating to see which direction he goes in.
