There is no Mason Mount for Chelsea as Frank Lampard begins his interim spell in charge against Wolves.
The Blues icon arrives on an interim basis following the sacking of Graham Potter and must get a tune out of a bloated 32-man squad for the last nine Premier League matches and at least two Champions League games, against Real Madrid in the quarter-finals.
First though, Lampard must travel to play relegation-threatened Wolves. He has few injury problems to deal with, including Thiago Silva, Cesar Azpilicueta and Armando Broja. Lampard has his favourite players and, from his last spell, we know Mason Mount is among them.
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He said at his unveiling on Thursday afternoon: “I know what I get from Mason, so I just want to see him perform on the pitch.
“We have a good relationship so we’ll talk a lot. I think he’s a huge player for Chelsea and has been in his time here, so I look forward to talking to him more.”
The homegrown academy stars generally have a positive relationship with Lampard but he has still coached less than half of the current squad since getting sacked back in January 2021.
He insisted that those he hasn’t coached will be treated just the same as the others, adding: “Maybe in the beginning, with it being short-term, that’s a positive thing for me because everyone can have a clean slate as such, and show in training and be competitive in training and the competitive nature can cross over onto the pitch.
“That’s a good thing about the squad, you can push each other and try and manage that.”
Lampard has characteristically been very flexible tactically wherever he has gone as a manager, not sticking to one specific system.
He does generally, however, prefer a back four over a back three and it could see him depart from the 3-4-3 system that became a favourite late in Potter’s tenure. He could opt for a 4-3-3 that was popular in his previous reign.
Starting Chelsea XI (4-3-3): Arrizabalaga, James, Wesley Fofana, Koulibaly, Cucurella, Gallagher, Fernandez, Kovacic, Havertz, Joao Felix, Sterling
