Frank Lampard’s quest for balance has taken him to one of Russia’s southern outposts. Chelsea arrive in Krasnodar with a reputation as adventurers compromised by successive stalemates.
If cavalier attacking may have come at too great a cost, the shift towards solidity may have gone too far.
"I am least worried about the front end of the pitch with the players we have there," said Lampard after Sunday's 0-0 draw with Manchester United. Cautious tactics made it harder to accommodate them all.
That 3-4-3 formation left him with Christian Pulisic, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz, with Mason Mount joining Tammy Abraham and Hakim Ziyech on the bench.
Each came on and the last presents the most intriguing issue. If Pulisic, Werner and Havertz represent the A-list, where does that leave Ziyech?
The Moroccan appears a contradiction. He is the first summer signing, a man whose deal was announced in February but whose full debut may not arrive until November. After a knee injury and three cameos, a maiden start may beckon. "Hakim Ziyech is coming close to starting a game with his fitness," Lampard said.
He felt an example of forward planning when his move was announced, his £36 million ($46.9m) price seeming a bargain when it was announced, but before the impact of Covid-19 reduced prices.
Yet rewind to February and few thought Chelsea could get Werner or Havertz. The striker seemed bound for Liverpool. The attacking midfielder might be headed for Bayern Munich or Real Madrid. Roman Abramovich allowed Chelsea to spend when others could not and Chelsea instead poached the two Germans.
Yet had they the foresight to know they would become available, would they have signed Ziyech? The first recruit can feel the afterthought now. He has stated his preference is to play as a No 10, but that is Havertz’s favourite role, too. There is likelier to be a vacancy on the right.
It would be fitting if the chance comes in the Champions League. It is the competition that brought Ziyech to a wider audience and, indeed, provided his outstanding display to date at Stamford Bridge. So far, it defines him, and yet denied him the crowning glory.
_____________________________________________________________________
Chelsea 0 Sevilla 0: player ratings
-
CHELSEA: Edouard Mendy - 7, Looked reliable in the Chelsea goal and made some good saves – something that has not been said about Blues stoppers too many times recently. EPA -
Reece James - 7, Stood strong in his defensive work, though his attacking threat was slightly nullified. EPA -
Thiago Silva - 7, Seemed to pick up an injury in the warmup, but this didn’t show in his performance, as he looked assured throughout. Getty -
Kurt Zouma - 5, They weren’t costly, but there were a few moments where the Frenchman looked very shaky. Reuters -
Ben Chilwell - 7, He’s settled in brilliantly at Stamford Bridge and looked comfortable once again. Was booked for pulling Ocampos’ shirt. AFP -
N’Golo Kante - 6, Looked off the pace at times, though he did cover plenty of ground – as is expected of the Frenchman. AP -
Jorginho - 6, Got an early card for a cynical foul on Lucas Ocampos which limited him. He grew into the game as time went on before being taken off. AFP -
Christian Pulisic - 6, Had a very quiet first half, but he looked more threatening after being moved on to the left wing. Getty -
Kai Havertz - 5, His play was pretty at times, but the German lost possession far too easily and unnecessarily. Getty -
Mason Mount - 5, Struggled to create much and was booked for pulling Suso’s shirt after losing the ball. EPA -
Timo Werner - 5, Threatened to cause trouble but didn’t manage it. Wasted some good chances, the best of which came at the end of the first half. EPA -
SUBS: Hakim Ziyech (Mount 62’) - 5, Got into some good positions but struggled to make the most of them. Showed flashes of his technical brilliance. Reuters -
Mateo Kovacic (Jorginho 65’) - 6, Showed good authority from the moment he came on to the pitch. PA -
Tammy Abraham (Werner 91’) - N/R, Got his appearance fee and did a nice flick. Job done. Getty -
SUB Callum Hudson-Odoi (Pulisic 91’) – N/R, Pretty much his only involvement was a misunderstanding with Chilwell. Getty -
SEVILLA: Yassine Bounou - 6, Looked very confident when called upon, whether that was with his hands or feet, and was never overstretched. AP -
Jesus Navas - 7, Nullified Mount and dealt with Pulisic well. Also gave a good option down the right hand side. EPA -
Sergi Gomez - 6, Looked strong defensively during his time on the pitch, but was forced off through injury in the 33rd minute. AP -
Diego Carlos - 5, Was solid enough defensively, but some of his passing was awful. EPA -
Marcos Acuna - 8, Was behind some brilliant attacking play down the left. Largely looked comfortable defensively – the one time he wasn’t he got booked for pulling Pulisic’s shirt. Reuters -
Ivan Rakitic - 6, The Croatian was good in his general play, but his final ball was off at times. Getty -
Fernando - 7, Looked strong starting in midfield, which he continued when filling in at centre-back after Gomez went off injured. AP -
Nemanja Gudelj - 7, Was dominant in his play and almost got on the scoresheet but was denied by an impressive save from Mendy. Got a blow to the face from Zouma. EPA -
Suso - 4, He was really quiet. That was partly due to a lack of service, but he was nowhere near quick enough when he had the ball at his feet. AFP -
Luuk de Jong - 6, His hold up play was brilliant, allowing him to bring teammates into the game. Didn’t get many chances of his own in front of goal. AFP -
Lucas Ocampos - 6, Had some bright moments and got a couple of half chances but failed to make the most of them. AP -
SUBS: Joan Jordan (Gomez, 33’) - 6, Slotted into the midfield seamlessly and came closest to scoring a winner. Was booked for a late foul on Puliisic. AP -
Oliver Torres (Suso 58’) - 6, Injected some of the energy that Suso was missing but couldn’t have a major impact. EPA -
Youssef En-Nesyri (de Jong 80’) – N/R, Pressed well but didn’t really get a chance to work Mendy. EPA -
Franco Vazquez (Rakitic 80’) – N/R, Looked a bit clumsy on the ball – this won’t have done much to help him get more game time. Getty
_____________________________________________________________________
Rewind 17 months and he set up Donny van de Beek's semi-final goal against Tottenham. Ajax took a 1-0 lead back to Amsterdam and, when Ziyech put them 2-0 ahead on the night, they were 3-0 up on aggregate. Enter Lucas Moura, whose hat-trick was completed in the 96th minute. "Crazy," Ziyech recalled last week.
Which may have served as a description of his only start at Stamford Bridge. His in-swinging deliveries from the right led to two Ajax goals – one diverted into his own net by Kepa Arrizabalaga – but his side had two centre-backs sent off in the same passage of play and drew 4-4. It was little wonder he attracted Lampard's attention.
Since then, shinier and newer, younger and costlier players have caught Chelsea’s eye. Werner got 34 goals for Leipzig last season and Havertz 18 for Bayer Leverkusen, whereas the Dutch campaign was curtailed. Ziyech’s 21-goal, 16-assist year in 2018-19 thus feels like more distant history.
He faces competition from Mount, Lampard’s protégé, and each will suffer from the system, unless he reverts to 4-2-3-1, sacrificing a defender for a further attacker.
But only Angel di Maria, Kylian Mbappe and Robert Lewandowski registered more assists in last season’s Champions League than Ziyech and, whereas they played in the final, he did not feature after the group stages.
As Chelsea look to recapture their attacking edge, it could be an opportunity to see what a man whose European exploits propelled him to Stamford Bridge can do.
