Frank Lampard’s trust in the young players at Chelsea is being repaid…
When Antonio Conte placed David Luiz in the centre of his three-man defence, a system that was very new to the Chelsea audience, it was hailed as a masterstroke. The Brazilian’s ability to pick a pass and his overall skill on the ball helped Chelsea pull off Contre’s 3-4-3.
But there was always a problem – Luiz’s performances at the back went from fantastic to mediocre by the second season and what followed were questions as to who will occupy a similar role for Chelsea in the future. Ball-playing centre-backs were becoming the rule rather than the exception and Chelsea also had to find a way to replace the Brazilian’s skillset when he ultimately left the club to join rivals Arsenal.
In Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, Chelsea had alternatives but unfortunately for the new manager Frank Lampard, the duo has been unavailable for selection due to injuries. With the club serving a transfer ban, just as Lampard looked to be in a spot of bother, the confident Fikayo Tomori stepped up and started playing the part to perfection.
It would be unfair to say that Lampard was forced into playing Tomori because of the transfer ban. Chelsea had Kurt Zouma, Christensen and Rudiger as options when Luiz left the club and so it was the manager’s bold call to promote Tomori into the first team that has paid dividends.
Tomori exudes confidence as a centre-back. He stands his ground against all types of strikers and has the strength and pace to deal with whatever it is that is thrown at him. He has successfully managed to form a solid partnership with Kurt Zouma at the heart of Chelsea’s defence.
It is not to say the defence has been faultless, they have been far from it. Lapses in concentration have been the biggest issue for the defence this season and it’s happened to Tomori as well. But bear in mind, the Englishman is just 21 years old and is nowhere near his peak.
Tomori joined the Blues at a very young age and climbed up the ladder only to have been sent on loan multiple times. He has been on loan to Brighton, Hull City and Derby County and it was the latter spell that bore fruit.
At Derby County, under the tutelage of his current Chelsea boss Lampard, Tomori made the leap from being a youngster to a proper senior player. He produced one stellar display after another and ultimately bagged the club’s Player of the Year award.
He’s started every Champions League match for Chelsea this season and has made the first-team spot his own. He has already a scored his first goal for the Blues, a stunning piledriver in the 5-2 win against Wolves. And given his technical ability, it won’t be the last goal contribution that he will produce this season.
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