The 34 year old midfielder could leave Chelsea at the end of the season and considering his role for the past decade, his replacement is surely needed at the Bridge. Here are a few players who could be drawn up in the short list.
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| Whackk.com |
With Frank Lampard all set to leave Chelsea in
months to come, a replacement for the Englishman will most definitely be
required at Stamford Bridge. His contribution at the London club for the past
decade has been tremendous which shows, as he approaches the record of most
goals score by any Chelsea player. Being a box-to-box midfielder, his 199 goals
have in fact come from midfield and that is truly a stat to watch out for.
Lampard, for the best part of his Chelsea
career played as a box-to-box midfielder (positioned on the left of a 4-3-3
formation), not only tracking back to keep up the number of bodies while
defending, but also initiating attacks from deep in his own half with his
accurate passing. Although in recent years, a fresh brand of attacking football
has been introduced by Villas Boas, Roberto Di Matteo and Rafa Benitez which
has seen an aging Lampard playing deeper to shield the defense and make his
frequent forays forward to score crucial goals.
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| Lampard could leave Chelsea at the end of the current campaign |
With Juan Mata having taken the mantel for
being the creative mainstay of this new look Chelsea side, a replacement
specifically for Lampard should have the ability to pull the strings from a
rather withdrawn position not to mention the ability to tackle and intercept
opposition attacks in their initiation.
18YB here analyses some players who could be
moulded into a similar kind of a player (who can not only play in a box-to-box
role if required, but also can operate from a deeper role) and leader on the
pitch for the next decade or so and lead The Blues to further glory.
Josh McEachran
20-year old Josh McEachran, who is on loan from
Chelsea to Middlesbrough could prove to be a home-grown replacement for
Lampard. With a good range of passing across the field, McEachran not only has
the vision to carve out an opportunity, but also has the composure to execute
it. At a tender stage in his Chelsea career yet, he has not been able to claim
a place in the starting line-up for The Blues. He has a lot of years to prove
his worth though, and can certainly live up to the expectations from him at the club.
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| McEachran is a talented youngster who can replace Lampard |
Former
manager Villas Boas also rated the youngster highly claiming that he saw his
future at Chelsea, while comparing him to players with ability to create from
the deep like Luka Modric and Jack Wilshere. With good technique on the ball,
McEachran surely has the ability to play as a box-to-box midfielder and if
required, a deep lying playmaker, thereby making him an ideal replacement for
Lampard.
Nathaniel Chalobah
18-year old Nathaniel Chalobah, who is
currently on loan at Watford under Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola, also has the potential
to be moulded into a Frank Lampard replacement. Having come through the ranks at
the Chelsea academy, he is a midfielder who is good on the ball while going
forward and he is usually used in front of the defense.
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| Chalobah has impressed on loan at Watford |
An athletic player, Chalobah is considered to
have a high work rate on the pitch and can operate both in an attacking and
defensive role. A role of shielding the defense in the 4-2-3-1 formation, which
Chelsea currently use would be ideally suitable to him. His adaptability being
good, a more offensive role of running from ‘D’ to ‘D’ could also be given to
him. The only thing which probably puts him in doubt of replacing someone like
Lampard, as claimed by Zola, is his passing ability which isn’t excellent.
At a very young age currently, he certainly
needs to improve his characteristics over the years, nevertheless, someone to
watch out for considering his versatility.
Marouane Fellaini
Marouane Fellaini, who currently ply’s his
trade at Everton, has been frequently touted as a replacement for the outgoing
Chelsea legend. A defensive midfielder who is good going forward, Fellaini
could be handed a different role considering his characteristics are much different
than Lampard’s.
| Fellaini has improved a lot at Everton |
He
certainly has the stamina to operate as a box-to-box midfielder, but with a
more physical approach to the game than Lampard, he can probably be not as
creative as the Englishman. Fellaini’s long passing is also not as great as compared
to Lampard. With good aerial ability and lung busting runs though, he can often
initiate attacks. He will fit straight in Chelsea’s attacking 4-2-3-1 formation
as a defensive midfielder who has been given the license to make timely runs to
support the attack.
Even still, Fellaini could be looked at as a
more defensive player than Lampard, but with Mata, Oscar, Moses and Hazard, may
be all Chelsea need is a stronger supporter instead of an out and out
replacement for one of the mainstays of Chelsea’s past teams.
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| Pyramid labs |
Written By,
Aman Arora
Aman writes for Goal India, GiveMeFootball and 18 Yard Box
Follow Aman at @aman_ghs
Follow 18 Yard Box at @18YB06
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