DBasia.news – Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has taken advantage of the club’s embargo transfer situation by experimenting. One of them is by pairing Tammy Abraham with Michy Batshuayi.
The duet was unexpected. Understandably, both of them are ‘exiled’ in Chelsea in the last few seasons because they are considered not worthy of being the spearhead of the Blues.
Batshuayi, 25, has been on loan for the past year to Borussia Dortmund, Valencia, and Crystal Palace. While Tammy Abraham has been on loan for the past three years at Bristol City, Swansea City, and Aston Villa.
Without Gonzalo Higuain returning to Juventus, then Alvaro Morata who went permanently to Atletico Madrid, Chelsea only left Olivier Giroud upfront as a striker who had been strengthening the team since last season.
In addition to the fact that the transfer embargo from FIFA regarding violations of recruiting underage players, Chelsea did not have the option to bring in a new attacker. They have a small chance to lend Batshuayi or Abraham again.
Take advantage of the situation, Lampard, smartly, experimented on a 4-4-2 tactic when Chelsea won 4-0 against St Patrick’s Athletic in Dublin in a trial match some time ago. The front line duet was filled with Batshuayi and Abraham.
Both of them did not score, however, the movement with and without the Batshuayi-Abraham ball satisfied Lampard. There are indications that the two players are back in duet next season (2019-20).
“I thought Tammy, in the first round, with Michy playing very well. Between them, they showed exactly what I wanted. Energy without balls and also with balls, and quality,” Lampard said of the two strikers at Chelsea TV.
“The big element is the performance, especially in the first half, and the downside, we should have scored more goals. I think the way we build attacks and combine in midfield, around the opponent’s defense is fantastic.”
“Games like this are important to win so that the team feels good, but it is also important for children to improve their physical abilities and see how they work hard,” said Lampard.
As Eden Hazard went to Real Madrid, a 4-4-2 or 4-1-2-1-2 tactic could indeed be an option for Lampard at Chelsea. But, 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 tactics remain the first option because Chelsea have agile wing attackers such as Willian, Pedro, and Callum Hudson-Odoi.