This blog is written by a seasoned FPL manager, Chelsea fan, and die-hard Lampard fan, Anurag Khetan, popularly known as @AK_FPL1 on Twitter. He is also known for a similar tactical analysis blog when Conte joined Spurs.
After a really difficult season, Everton finally pulled the plug on Rafa Benitez’s tenure as Manager. Everton see themselves languishing on 16th in the Table, just 4 points above relegation.
Everton have decided to hire Frank Lampard, who has previously managed in the Premier League with Chelsea, having a very good first season, but a really poor second season, which saw him getting sacked last year in January.
History of Frank Lampard as a Manager
Frank Lampard has previously managed at Derby in the Championship and at Chelsea in the Premier League. He prefers to play in a 4-3-3, and has also played a 4-2-3-1 formation a few times, especially in the first season at Chelsea, and sometimes, but rarely, a 3-4-3.
In his first season at Chelsea, Frank Lampard inherited arguably the weakest Chelsea team in the Roman Abrahimovic era, and drove them to a 4th-placed finish, while Chelsea had just lost Eden Hazard and were also facing a transfer ban. Lampard mostly played a 4-2-3-1 formation in his first season. In the second season, Chelsea spent close to 200 million pounds and Lampard tried to play a 4-3-3 formation, with a CDM (protecting the defence) and 2 “8’s”, mostly with Kai Havertz and Mason Mount being the 8’s.
Formation and Numbers (First Season 2019/2020) : 4-2-3-1
Frank Lampard played out a 4-2-3-1 most of the time in his first season at Chelsea. At the start of the season, Tammy Abraham played as the lone striker upfront, but lost form later and Lampard started playing Giroud as the main striker instead. Willian started most games as the Right Winger with Hudson-Odoi and Pulisic playing on the left, depending on Pulisic’s fitness. Mason Mount was a key player under him in the “hole” behind the striker.
In the double pivot in the midfield, Lampard had 3 amazing options to call upon in N’golo Kante, Jorginho and Kovacic. Kante started most games when fit while he rotated Jorginho and Kovacic based on opposition and form.
At the back, Lampard played Alonso on the left and Azpilicueta and Reece James on the right. James was still quite young and developing, and he helped him to fit in nicely, without having the pressure to start every game. Kepa played in goal and had a really difficult season, conceding goals that he shouldn’t have.
Statistically, Lampard’s Chelsea side had really good attacking numbers. Chelsea through the 2019/20 season had an xG of 70.96, the second best in the league behind Manchester City, and just above the champions of that season, Liverpool (69.71).
Even the defensive numbers were quite good, but there were problems in organisation of the defence and an out-of-form Goalkeeper.
Chelsea conceded an xG of 38.84 throughout the season. Even though they only stood 5th in the xGC table, there wasn’t much difference between the teams at the top, with Manchester City topping the table with an xGC of 37.59.
Conclusively, Lampard had a very good first season at Chelsea, where he matched the numbers of Liverpool and Manchester City even with a transfer ban and also integrated youth of the academy into the side.
Formation and Numbers (Second Season 2020/21) : 4-3-3
Lampard’s Chelsea played a 4-3-3 in the second season. After signing so many players with a lot of potential, especially in attack, Lampard tried to play Mount, Abraham and Pulisic with the new signings, but failed to find a balance.
The system had the usual front 3, with Timo Werner and Ziyech on the wings and Tammy Abraham upfront. In the midfield, Lampard tried to play a CDM (mostly Kante) with 2 “Number 8’s” in Kai Havertz and Mason Mount. The pair used to join the attack with the front 3 from the middle.
Chelsea tried to have 5 men in attack as a result, but a lot of times, there were no players in the midfield at all, with most players finding themselves on the wings with 2 other players, with only the Striker being central in the box.
The system lacked consistency as Chelsea used to get caught out defensively quite easily in the transitions, and an unorganised defence resulted in Chelsea struggling on 10th position in the league with 19 games played, which saw Frank Lampard eventually get sacked in January.
The numbers, however, were not as bad as their position in the league table.
WIth an xG of 29.84, Chelsea were 5th in the xG Table, while they had a very decent xG Conceded of 18.37, second only to Manchester City in the xG Conceded Table.
Summary of Lampard’s managerial time at Chelsea
- Likes to play in transitions and counter attack
- Prefers playing 4 at the back
- Likes to have at least one winger who can cut in and drive into the box
- Will have at least 1 Advanced Central Midfielder, who can join the attack or make late runs into the box, trying to recreate what he did as a player himself
- Pressing from the front was unorganised and didn’t work as well
- Defensive shape also had organisation issues, with defenders finding themselves in 2-v-1 unfavourable situations more than usual.
- Trusts youth players and integrates academy stars into first team quickly.
How could Lampard Lineup at Everton?
It looks like the Everton side are set to play one of the two formations Lampard played previously with Chelsea.
The inevitable signings of Donny Van de Beek and Dele Alli, gives him much needed attacking impetus from the Centre Midfield.
In goal, it’s easy to bet on Jordan Pickford keeping his place as the Number 1 Goalkeeper.
In defence, I can see Lampard integrating the new young right back, Nathan Patterson, into his team quickly. Seamus Coleman provides an alternative in that area.
In Centre Defence, 2 of Godfrey/Mina/Keane should start, while Vitaliy Mykolenko is the only natural Left Back in the senior squad at the moment.
In midfield, it’s easy to see Allan playing the Kante role if Lampard does go for a 4-3-3 with 2 Number 8’s. The Brazilian has drawn similarities with Kante in his playing style in the past and Lampard would love to have him in his team.
Abdoulaye Doucoure is reportedly out for a month, and with Everton signing (soon at the time of writing) Van De Beek and Dele Alli on deadline day, we could see Lampard starting both of these new players in his starting lineup, although it looks a bit unbalanced. Andre Gomes also provides a solid option in the centre midfield.
In attack, Richarlison and Demarai Gray should start on the wings, although both players like to play on the Left. It would be interesting to see how Lampard picks the sides for these players. Andros Townsend, Anthony Gordon and Anwar El Ghazi are alternatives on the wings.
Lastly, Dominic Calvert-Lewin should start as the striker upfront, and should fit in well into Frank Lampard’s system.
Everton Assets to Target in FPL?
Everton’s attack becomes quite attractive under Frank Lampard, as they have a good core of attacking players. As mentioned above, Lampard’s teams have performed well in attack, only for the poor finishing that let his Chelsea side down in both seasons.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (7.9) could finally start scoring goals after a difficult half-season marred by injuries. Demarai Gray (5.5) could prove to be of great value if he keeps his starting spot. Richarlison (7.4) would probably be playing on the wings and would need to be very productive from the wings to have a look into our sides, as he’s listed as a Forward in Fantasy Premier League.
The new acquisitions of Donny Van de Beek (5.7) and especially Dele Alli (6.2) could prove to be options now, although we advise you to wait and see how Everton actually lineup.
Everton’s defence also needs a lot of work, and Frank Lampard may find it difficult to organise an already poor defence, as he has had organizational problems at the back in the past himself. It’s worth waiting to see whether Lampard is able to fix the defence right away or not.
Further Reads from ALLABOUTFPL Ahead of FPL Gameweek 24:
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FPL GW24 Ultimate Guide: Announcements, Tips, Differentials, Wildcard Drafts, Captaincy
FPL GW23 Fixture Wise Review & Key Stats That Caught Our Eye
What is FPL CUP? What are the rules? How to win the 2021/22 FPL CUP?
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AK - Anurag Khetan
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