Does Lampard still have a role to play in Chelsea's 4-2-3-1 formation?

Since Roberto Di Matteo has been the manager his definite preferred formation is the 4-2-3-1. We have had great cup success since switching to it, winning the Fa Cup and the Champions League as a result with Lampard and Obi Mikel deployed as the two holding midfielder's.

However I think that the effectiveness of the formation may have been over hyped, as in the league Chelsea fell from fourth to sixth in the league when using it last year and much of the success of the formation was down to how uniquely great Didier Drogba was at playing up front by himself and doing the remarkable.
Now that Drogba has gone to China, Chelsea are now trying to change their style of play from very defensive to a more attractive brand similar to the likes of Barcelona and Arsenal and questions are starting to be asked about whether Lampard should be a starter in the 4-2-3-1 formation for the blues any more especially with addition of Oscar to the squad.

So far this season Lampard and Obi Mikel have partnered each other in the middle as the two holding midfielder's and the team have had some decent results, however the two performances against Manchester City and Atlectico Madrid have seen questions arise as to whether the two can play alongside each other throughout the season and help lead the team to glory this year. I personally don't think as a two, Mikel and Lampard compliment each other well enough to be a consistently good pairing in the middle for Chelsea. They both lack and pace and neither are what I would call exceptional defensively. For me, if Lampard is to have any part to play in this formation it would have to be alongside Ramires as they seem to compliment each other better. Ramires has the legs to cover all the pitch and isn't scared to get stuck in and Lampard has the technical ability and football brain to start attacking moves and get the team moving forward so that to me seems like the better option.

I think that Lampard's technical ability and football brain is very vital to any success Chelsea could have this year, but I am aware that a lot of fans want to see Oscar get a chance to show what he is all about as they see him as the future of the Chelsea midfield. In this case Lampard would have to drop to the bench in my opinion and Oscar would play alongside Obi Mikel as this seems like it would be a  good balanced partnership with Mikel being the more defensive minded of the two and Oscar the more technical getting the ball forward, making driving runs through the centre and creating chances. Oscar's also has great work rate and closes down well which is also a great quality to have in the centre of the park, so this partnership could be as equally as productive as the Lampard and Ramires one.

That said I definitely believe that Lampard has still has a big part to play for Chelsea in the 4-2-3-1 formation, however not in the partnership he is currently being deployed in. We have seen recently for England that if he is played right he is such a great creator and goal threat, but at the same time I understand there are other options for Chelsea's midfield this season and if he isn't playing to his standards then changes should be made.

What do you guy think? Did I get it right? Leave a comment below to share your thoughts.

LetsTalk #KTBFF


Follow me on Twitter @LetsTalkChelsea