Chelsea have just one pre-season match left of the summer before they take on Manchester United in their Premier League opener.
It’s a huge first match and after the all the preparations, Frank Lampard’s ideas at the Blues will be really put to the test.
With four wins from six during pre-season so far, it has been a pretty successful summer to date as they go into Saturday’s clash with Borussia Monchengladbach.
However, not everything is solved just yet and there are some question marks over certain positions remaining. Football.london takes a look right here.
Centre-back
While the attacking force has been looking electric in the last few games, the Blues have also conceded three goals in back-to-back matches.
Lampard has swapped things around throughout the summer, with different partnerships being used to find the right combination.
David Luiz, Andreas Christensen, Kurt Zouma and Fikayo Tomori have been the players used this summer with Antonio Rudiger still recovering from injury.
While the Brazilian seems to be leading the way in Lampard’s eyes as the number one centre-back, it is unclear exactly who will be beside him.
Zouma looks the most likely candidate, however Christensen has a good case to play.
But the combinations have looked a little shaky throughout July, especially from defending set pieces, and that will be a big concern to Lampard.
Central midfield
This isn’t so much a problem position, more a difficult decision for Lampard to make when N’Golo Kante returns to full fitness.
The France World Cup winner has not played a single minute of action as he continues to recover from the knee injury suffered before the Europa League final.
It could be a big risk just to dump him into the first match at Old Trafford, however he is now Chelsea’s best player and has to play as often as possible.
So in the 4-2-3-1 there comes the decision on who to drop, Jorginho or Mateo Kovacic.
Both players have looked good this summer and have combined together nicely over the course of the campaign.
Lampard won’t have any fear of starting them both in the first game of the season, however if Kante is fit then one will head out.
Kovacic has added an extra dynamic edge since slotting back into a slightly deeper role, while Jorginho has, at times, still looked a little susceptible in the defensive phase.
However, neither deserve to really miss out on facing United next week.
Striker
Tammy Abraham got the nod in the 5-3 win over RB Salzburg, but there is no guarantee that he is going to lead the line for the Blues at Old Trafford.
Michy Batshuayi notched another goal in Austria, while Olivier Giroud remained on the bench and is expected to get a run out against Monchengladbach.
It will depend on whether or not Lampard wants to go for experience in the Frenchman or use the big asset of pace.
Both Abraham and Batshuayi run the channels well and have been useful in stretching oppositions’ defence to make space for others.
The way that Lampard wants to play suits either Batshuayi or Abraham, however it will be a big decision to be made by the new head coach to risk them.
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