Frank Lampard picked a surprising lineup today for the clash against Fulham, and there are interesting question marks from front to back.
On Sky Sports, Geoff Shreeves picked out a couple of the interesting selections, including Olivier Giroud over Tammy Abraham, and Kurt Zouma’s replacement at the back by Antonio Rudiger.
Liam Twomey of the Athletic noted the Chelsea boss’s response to the latter question:
Asked by @GeoffShreeves why he’s replaced Zouma with Rudiger, Lampard stresses it’s nothing personal but points to indifferent recent results, good training and the need to show personality today #CFC
— Liam Twomey (@liam_twomey) January 16, 2021
The first change is one we’ve seen plenty this season, and the reasons are obvious. Both have different profiles as strikers and bring different things. They’ve spent most of the season interchanging.
The Rudiger for Zouma change is a far more interesting one. Zouma and Thiago Silva have been the first team partnership all season, and this is a big departure from that.
Of course what Lampard says is true – results have been awful, and we need to show personality. Let’s hope he gets the reaction he wants.
