How Chelsea could line up in pre-season as Lampard takes the kids to Ireland
CHELSEA have taken a huge squad on the first leg of their pre-season tour as Frank Lampard sifts through his options.
After initially selecting a youthful travelling party, 13 first-teamers will arrive after slightly extended breaks to complete the 35-man selection on Wednesday.
Under a FIFA transfer ban, many Blues fans hope the new manager takes the chance to bring through academy talents.
Multiple generations of homegrown player are in Ireland, from Lewis Baker and Kasey Palmer, 24 and 22 respectively, to teenagers such as Marc Guehi and Conor Gallagher.
First up is a clash with Bohemians in Dublin on Wednesday before they face St Patrick's three days later.
From there, Chelsea travel for Japan to take on Kawasaki Frontale and Barcelona with it unclear which players will make that leg of the trip.
The Blues are expected to loan out a fair few reserve players, meaning the likes of Lucas Piazon, Izzy Brown and Kenedy will potentially get only a short time to impress.
But Lampard insists that he will treat all men equally ahead of his first competitive game in charge.
THE USUAL SUSPECTS
Without the ability to go into the market, the Blues boss is faced with sticking with what is left of the team that Maurizio Sarri deployed, bringing back outcasts, and deploying youngsters.
For pre-season, a big hole is left behind by the injured Antonio Rudiger and Lampard might opt for former Derby loanee Fikayo Tomori or Ethan Ampadu, the Welshman having spent last season in and around the senior side.
Everton target Kurt Zouma is also in Ireland with the hope of returning to the Blues fold, where he was before a horror knee injury.
In midfield, Sarri's longstanding trade-off between Ross Barkley and Mateo Kovacic seems set to continue given the difficulty Lampard will have in dropping N'Golo Kante and Jorginho.
It is up front where the problems lie, thanks to the absence of Eden Hazard.
Gonzalo Higuain and Alvaro Morata's exits clears the way for Olivier Giroud and a plethora of youngsters and, with Willian on holiday, Mason Mount is perhaps best placed to step up.
LOST & FOUND
Chelsea may not be able to sign new players but their squad certainly doesn't need bulking out.
An entire XI, and then some, can be selected from outcasts who could theoretically still do a job this season.
Lampard could decide to throw them all in together.
These men know they have to hit the ground running or risk being sent back out on loan, a policy the Blues look set to continue.
Among the most likely to step up from this group are Zouma, Danny Drinkwater and Michy Batshuayi.
Depending on the manager's preferred formation, which we will get a better look at in the coming weeks, the Belgium forward is capable of jumping Tammy Abraham in the queue to lead the line.
THINKING OF TOMOR-ROW
The massive squad heading to Ireland contains a number of teenage talents, including plenty who will be unheard of among Chelsea supporters.
Jamie Cumming and midfielder Gallagher were on the bench for the Europa League final beating of Arsenal but Ike Ugbo, Billy Gilmour and Ian Maatsen are even less well known.
England youth international defender Guehi joins them across the Irish Sea following a spot as a substitute on the last day of the 2018/19 Premier League campaign.
If Lampard goes with an entire youthful XI, Dutch defender Maatsen offers an option at left-back with Gilmour and Gallagher a potential midfield pairing.
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Even in this side, there is a strong amount of experience with Brown and Abraham up front, the latter hotly tipped for a shot at the first-team after a number of successful loans away.
And decent spells down the leagues for Dujon Sterling, Tomori and Palmer provide them a basis to build on under the new manager.
