Frank Lampard has a really good ‘problem’ with his midfield players – he has a lot of decent options to chose from.
Even tonight against Crystal Palace when he is missing both N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic, he has a good decision to make on whether he starts Billy Gilmour or Jorginho in that deeper role.
However, the latter is yet to kick a ball at Chelsea since football restarted and doubts over his future have been cast as a result.
But is Jorginho the type of midfielder that Lampard wants in his new midfield going forward? A midfield that he describes as fluid, and gives Mason Mount’s ability to do it all whether it is deeper or in an attacking sense, as the perfect example of what he wants in his midfield going forward.
With Kante being more defensively solid than Jorginho as well as having that extra pace and energy, one would worry about the Chelsea future of the Italian international.
As per the Chelsea website, Lampard has been explaining what he wants from his midfield, and he mentions Jorginho…
“Playing teams with low blocks that make it difficult for you, to be able to get players that arrive with real technical abilities high up the pitch and around the box, and find a pass or take someone out the game with skill and a finish, is big in those games.
“If we feel like we are going to have a lot of control, generally I play with midfield players that can play high, can play on the side, and can do the defensive duties as well.
“Mason Mount really has that and his work off the ball is fantastic for us. If I feel like getting him higher up the pitch and put more pressure on the other team if they want to play out, that can help us off the ball.
“Sometimes I will ask him to do a slightly different role with the ball where he comes deeper to make sure that he is not missing out on the ball, because he is a good player who needs to be on the ball deeper. He and Ross can perform in that kind of role.
“With Jorginho, I think he also can but his role predominantly in his career has been from a deeper position.
“Jorginho has to do nothing different [to earn selection]. He trains well, he is good for the group on and off the pitch, he is vice-captain of the club.
“It is purely my choice at the moment with what I see and the games in front of me and how I like the make-up of the midfield to be. Sometimes it can be affected by the other players that are in that midfield where I think we need more defensive attributes in the game. He doesn’t need to do anything, it is purely my choice.
“So I have those good [selection] problems in the team. I like to work on the midfield so it is fluid as it possibly can be, so we give teams problems when we are playing well. In some performances recently, Watford being one, and Everton before lockdown, I saw a real fluid movement of the midfield which I really liked, so we have to continue working on that.”
