At the beginning of the 2020/21 campaign, Frank Lampard used the 4-2-3-1 formation for his Chelsea side.
The idea was to get the very best of his new attacking options, with Kai Havertz playing in the number ten role and running the show.
However, what the formation did was effect the balance of the side, and while the Blues had some good attacking play, they struggled at the other end.
With the emergence of Ben Chilwell and Reece James in the full-back positions, there was a realisation that the best attacking play was actually from the wide areas, not through the middle.
However, while the pair were encouraged to get forward, what it did was leave big gaps behind them, which had to be covered by the two in the middle of the park.
That was usually N’Golo Kante and Jorginho, and that would mean it would force them out wide rather than controlling the midfield.
However, in recent games Lampard has gone back to last season’s 4-3-3, and it is getting the best out of the two full-backs.
Chilwell and James will always be given the freedom to attack, but what the change in formation has done is give them the necessary protection.
In the 4-1 hammering of Sheffield United, Mason Mount on the left and Mateo Kovacic on the right would move into the gaps when the full-backs would attack.
That slight move would mean the two defenders could provide outstanding width and attacking options to give more diversity to the forward play.
With two number eights, it also meant Mount and Kovacic were able to link up with the forward line, as the latter did for Tammy Abraham’s goal.
Moving forward, it looks like the formation of choice and there are a number of options for players who can feature in the number eight roles.
Mount and Kai Havertz appear to be the first choice players, while Kovacic can fit there, with Kante also able to move into the role, should Jorginho play the deeper position.
Another option is Billy Gilmour, who is returning from his knee surgery and ready to fight for a place in a developing midfield.
But for Lampard, it seems to be the obvious choice to get the best out of his full-backs, who have become two of the biggest weapons he has.
Chilwell has two goals and two assists in the Premier League, while James has one goal and two assists in all competitions.
Those numbers are only going to climb as the games go on, something that Lampard is looking forward to seeing.
“Yes, it has been a really positive impact [from Chilwell] and it is an important part of how I want to play is involving our full-backs in an offensive sense,” Lampard said.
“For Chily, part of the reason to bring him to the club is his ability to cover a lot of high intensity moments in games, where he is joining in and getting high up the pitch and we haven’t utilised it enough in the last two or three performances, I have got to say, so it is something I spoke about yesterday and worked on with the team. We saw that a bit today with when they went went and our balance with the midfield 8s dropping in slightly.
“We were finding different lines very well. With the quality of Chily, we have to utilise him and get him high up the pitch at times is a big deal for us and he will get better as he is settling in. There’s a lot more to come from Chily.”
