Sport
It’s Time for Lampard to Bring Back Fikayo Tomori
After his teammates have failed to deliver in defence, the young Englishman deserves a call-back to the starting eleven
For all the talk of next season’s attacking glamour, Chelsea’s 3–2 defeat to West Ham on Wednesday night proved, once again, that the blues’ rear guard leaves a lot to be desired. It’s no secret that Lampard has struggled to pin down a consistent back four throughout the season, trialling different combinations of central and wide defenders to no avail.
Azpilicueta, for all his passion, seems a shadow of the routinely reliable captain who’s been a mainstay of the line-up for much of this decade. Rüdiger’s current form suggests he’d be better employed as a transfer negotiator for the club, while Christensen rarely delivers on the promise of his ability. Alonso, it seems, doesn’t consider himself a defender at all.
All four started for Chelsea at the London Stadium, and left a weary-eyed Lampard frustrated by brain-dead mistakes and lapses in concentration that have become more regular than any one of the blues’ defensive options this season. “I’ve not been let down by my defenders”, he said after the game, though suggesting that the loss “wasn’t a huge surprise” says something of the little faith he places in his back four.
It’s no secret that Lampard has struggled to pin down a consistent back four throughout the season
Enter — or rather, re-enter — Fikayo Tomori. After impressing earlier in the season in a central defensive partnership with Kurt Zouma (or on the left side of a back five), the 22-year-old fell out of favour following a combination of lukewarm pre-lockdown performances and Lampard’s persistent shuffling of the Chelsea pack. When quizzed on why Tomori didn’t play a league game this calendar year until the end of February, the blues boss candidly admitted to selection issues and has since opted for team sheets omitting the young defender.
After Wednesday night’s display, however, Lampard may want to re-assess the abilities of one of Chelsea’s most promising young stars. In what proved his third loan spell away from his boyhood club, Tomori was named Derby County’s player of the year in 2019 and a brief look back at his Championship performances reveals exactly what type of player he could be — and has been — at Stamford Bridge.
Tomori is quick. Really quick. In a league as fast-paced as England’s top flight, speed is a precious defensive commodity and the youngster can make the yards as quick as anyone in Chelsea blue. Where Zouma and Rüdiger clumsily gallop back to goal in the face of a mistake, Tomori possesses a potent combination of speed and composure that makes him an assured defensive option for a team sorely lacking in ideas when things go wrong.
Lampard may want to re-assess the abilities of one of Chelsea’s most promising young stars
Alonso’s inevitable wanderings into the attacking half of the pitch often leave Chelsea’s left flank exposed to quick counterattacks — look no further than Yarmolenko’s winner — and Tomori is Lampard’s best chance of plugging those gaps given his ability to track back quicker than any other defensive player in the side. So too does his confident ability on the ball, both when passing and dribbling, allow him to become involved offensively in ways denied to more conservative defenders like Christensen (in less appearances, Tomori has twice the goals of the young Dane).
At 22, Tomori still has a lot to learn. He, along with the entire blues back line, is weak in the air — winning just over 50% of aerial duels — and makes silly mistakes akin to those around him. But his pace and composure should make him a no-brainer in Lampard’s next defensive re-shuffle. With no stand-out performer keeping the goals out of the Chelsea net this season, there seems to be little risk in throwing the talented youngster back into the ring amidst the push for a top-four finish.
With Pulisic blossoming at the other end of the pitch and Kovačić gaining plaudits aplenty for running the show in the centre of the park, Kepa is crying out for some effective coverage in front of him to alleviate the scrutiny towards his own mistakes between the sticks. After Wednesday night’s collectively shambolic display at the back, the conversation surrounding the need for world class defensive reinforcement at Stamford Bridge is gaining traction, so Tomori must seize the few chances he has to impress should they come his way in the coming weeks.
Having picked up a small muscle injury during lockdown training, it remains to be seen whether his current absence is medical or methodical. What has become clear in recent months, however, is the inconsistency of Chelsea’s defensive offering and the need to switch up a failing formula.
If Lampard is still auditioning for the starters in next season’s title challenge, Tomori deserves a call-back.
