What Frank Lampard is doing at Chelsea is admirable, with his handling of young players one of the most impressive parts about Chelsea’s start to the season. Most of them have impressed so far and that has brought a healthy competition for starting berths in Chelsea’s first team.
In a previous article, we spoke about the importance of healthy competition among the players in the team. With Ruben Loftus-Cheek just coming back from injury, Chelsea will indeed have healthy competition in midfield.
The 23-year-old English midfielder ruptured his Achilles tendon in the post-season friendly ahead of the Europa League final. Even though he is likely to be back in action soon, the chances of having his place back on the team is slim.
Loftus-Cheek was establishing himself as a critical member of Maurizio Sarri’s squad at the end of last season but with Frank Lampard in charge now and with his injury, things have changed a bit. There is competition for space on the team and it is hard to decide who to drop for who.
In recent weeks, we have seen outstanding performances from Jorginho, while his pairing with Mateo Kovacic is working so well that it has earned them praise from fans.
Will he have difficulty regaining a starting spot?
A lot of things should be factored into this question before answering it. Surely, we will be seeing the English midfielder trying his best to get back into the first-team action but as it stands, the current Chelsea midfield will not be easy to get into with the set of players in it and the ones waiting to get a chance to prove themselves.
With the recent form and development of Jorginho and Kovacic in the midfield, it will make it hard for them to be dropped from the team. They have been like new signings so far this season and we can all agree that they’ve formed a formidable partnership that is beautiful to watch and wins games at the same time.
Let’s not forget the ever-energetic N’Golo Kante who has cemented a place for himself in the Chelsea team with his impressive form before injury. He might be struggling to come back from the injury but we will definitely see him back in the team at some point.
The Frenchman is one of the cogs that makes the Chelsea team tick and seeing him dropped is highly unlikely to happen.
Add Mason Mount who has also been impressive this season to that list and that makes it four exceptional midfielders Loftus-Cheek will have to worry about.
All hopes is not lost for the 23-year-old Englishman, if he can fight his way back into the form he was in last season. Instead of worrying on the decision of who to use in the midfield, that will leave Chelsea with plenty of options.
As a young player with so much fight in him, all he needs to do is continue trying hard and working on himself to get back in form and it won’t be long before he grabs the attention of Lampard.
Conclusion
Even though it will be hard for Loftus-Cheek to get his place back in the Chelsea squad, it is not totally impossible. With his performances last season, all he just needs to do is continue to get better and we will see him gradually become a formidable force in Chelsea’s midfield.
