Chelsea's New Starting XI Compared to Frank Lampard's First Game As Manager

By Mike Parrott

Chelsea's business in the summer transfer window shows how much of a change between Frank Lampard's first game as a manager, and the predicted XI that Chelsea might start the 20/21 season with.

Chelsea aren't taking the COVID-19 pandemic into account when it comes to this transfer window.

With most teams being more frugal due to the extreme losses due to the worldwide lock-down, Chelsea have gone the opposite way and have spent the most money and if proposed deals go through, their most ever.

With Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner already signed, a bid for €100 million for Kai Havertz accepted, and personal terms agreed with Ben Chilwell and Thiago Silva, Chelsea will spend over £230 million, and that's not including the extreme sign-on fee Silva will demand.

When Frank Lampard took over as Chelsea manager, he constantly drove home the idea of playing youth and Chelsea academy graduates, which lasted two-three months until he had enough.

In his first game as Chelsea manager, they were smashed 4-0 by Manchester United who were starting Jesse Lingard, Andreas Pereira, and Scott McTominay. There XI consisted of:

Kepa Arrizabalaga, Kurt Zouma, Andreas Christensen, Emerson Palmieri, Cesar Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, Ross Barkley, Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham, and Pedro.

The projected XI going into next season according to some Twitter users is:

Kepa Arrizabalaga, Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Kurt Zouma, Ben Chilwell, N'Golo Kante, Kai Havertz, Mason Mount, Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, Timo Werner.

Even though you would assume Kovacic would be starting after arguably being Chelsea's player of the year, the team will have improved significantly offensively, while staying the same defensively.

However, Chelsea's problems have been leaking goals with them conceding 18 more goals under Lampard than under Maurizio Sarri, albeit only selling David Luiz from their backline.

The new XI also gets rid of two Chelsea academy players and if Kovacic is added over someone like Mount, that's another one lost.

For a manager who came in saying the academy was to be implemented more and that he believes in them, spending £250 million and buying a 36-year-old CB may say otherwise.

What do you think of Chelsea's transfer window?

Let us know in the comments below.