Chelsea fans have been calling out for more risky and youthful team selections from Frank Lampard. The deployment of Carney Chukwuemeka in midweek made them happy. But he’s back on the bench against Manchester United today.
Yes Lewis Hall is in there for his fourth start in a row, but fans want more than that now. Many bemoaned the way the same old players were being used despite having failed us all season. With nothing to play for, couldn’t we at least have seen some prospects?
Clearly getting a result is much more important for Lampard than giving academy players minutes. Thiago Silva, Raheem Sterling and Ruben Loftus-Cheek come into the team tonight, and Lampard explained those decision thus:
“Thiago didn’t play at Manchester United, it was a quick turnaround between games. Raheem is back fit. He had a little niggle in the week. Ruben did well against Man City last week, so he comes back in.”
All are experienced players for an experienced lineup. Hall is only in there because of injuries to the alternatives. You can be sure Ben Chilwell and Marc Cucurella would be in there if they could be selected.
Mason Mount is not even on the bench. We have almost certainly seen him play his last for Chelsea now. We expect to see Chukwuemeka in the game as a sub, but it’s not really enough, is it?
