Chelsea vs Aston Villa: 6 Ways Paul Lambert Can Mastermind Victory
6. Maintain Discipline At The Back
It is no exaggeration to say that Chelsea has one of the most potent and complete set of midfield players in world football. Boundless energy and endeavour, precision passing, incisive playmaking skills and a steady flow of goals from players like Hazard, Mata, Oscar and de Bryune mean that all of the defensive angles need to be covered at all times. Maintaining a strong shape at the back is essential as Chelseas midfielders thrive on dragging the centre backs apart by constantly interchanging in a fluid manner. This creates space for the likes of Lampard or Ramires to join from deep. Delph and El Ahmadi must drop in with those runners, allowing the centre backs to focus on those already in the attack. Weimann and Agbonlahor will have to share in this responsibility too in attempting to nullify Chelseas marauding full backs. The Villa full backs broke with verve and pace on Saturday but crucially they covered themselves when the ball was lost and, for the most part slotted back into the shape without too much fuss. It is crucial that this discipline is continued at Stamford Bridge.
