Who will be Lampard's long-term replacement?

[The only place to be 11,313]

With it looking like this could be the last season for arguably our greatest ever player, we're obviously going to be looking to replace him. Now that's tough because he's pretty much irreplaceable in our hearts, but someone's going to have to take his place in the team as a double pivot/deep-lying midfielder/DM/playmaker/whatever you want to call it.

Now we have a number of youngsters on our books who are all promising professionals. We also have Juan Mata who is right now having the type of season in terms of goals from midfield that you'd expect from Lamps in his prime.

My own view is that the style of football that Lamps thrived in is one we're moving away from slightly, and what we need is someone who can just keep the ball moving and feed the attacking midfielders. 18 months ago a considerable number of us probably thought that would be Luka Modric but good old Daniel Levy solidified his record as an amazing businessman and managed to flog him for about £10 million less than we offered for him.

Instead we bought Brazil's Number 10. Chelsea bought Brazil's Number 10, chief playmaker and arguably their brightest prospect. Except not only does he have great vision and beautiful technique, but he also works his bollocks off like a young Dennis Wise. The guy virtually marked Andrea Pirlo out of a game whilst also scoring two goals, both of which were vintage Lampard efforts.

He's my choice for us going forward.

[zolayes 14,489]

Im thinking of starting a thread asking people to predict how many Lampard threads can be running at the same time

[OneMoSalah 8,887]

With it looking like this could be the last season for arguably our greatest ever player, we're obviously going to be looking to replace him. Now that's tough because he's pretty much irreplaceable in our hearts, but someone's going to have to take his place in the team as a double pivot/deep-lying midfielder/DM/playmaker/whatever you want to call it.

Now we have a number of youngsters on our books who are all promising professionals. We also have Juan Mata who is right now having the type of season in terms of goals from midfield that you'd expect from Lamps in his prime.

My own view is that the style of football that Lamps thrived in is one we're moving away from slightly, and what we need is someone who can just keep the ball moving and feed the attacking midfielders. 18 months ago a considerable number of us probably thought that would be Luka Modric but good old Daniel Levy solidified his record as an amazing businessman and managed to flog him for about £10 million less than we offered for him.

Instead we bought Brazil's Number 10. Chelsea bought Brazil's Number 10, chief playmaker and arguably their brightest prospect. Except not only does he have great vision and beautiful technique, but he also works his bollocks off like a young Dennis Wise. The guy virtually marked Andrea Pirlo out of a game whilst also scoring two goals, both of which were vintage Lampard efforts.

He's my choice for us going forward.

Hes the perfect candidate by the looks of it but he'll need to learn how to play as a CM rather than an AM. Hes got the right attributes just needs time to get used to being a CM. This could take years tbh. De Bruyne looks like someone who could be useful in where Lamps is playing too but I'm unsure.

[The only place to be 11,313]

Im thinking of starting a thread asking people to predict how many Lampard threads can be running at the same time

The over/under is based on how many Torres threads can run concurrently, surely?

[Rmpr 8,977]

I bet KDB will win...Why?

[Rubber bullets 1,183]

I really hate the idea of trying to find so called replacements for past stars (if your implying trying to find someone who will play exactly like Lampard and score 20 goals a season). What really needs to happen when looking at new midfielders is looking at their individual attributes and seeing how they can shape the team, for example Mata is not like Lampard because he does not position himself in midfield to make runs forwards (he starts behind the striker) and focus more on creating goals or others, wile Oscar also prefers starting in an advance position while thinking he opposite fro Lampard, because he likes to run deeper in the midfield to help the flow of the play. We need to be thinking how their way of playing can help the team be successful. Same when we buy new midfielders.

Taking the mindset of who will take the place of Lampard is a bad mentality and gets us no where when trying to progress forward.

[YouNameIt 1,511]

There wont be a lampard replacement.. At least not for a long time.

[The only place to be 11,313]

I really hate the idea of trying to find so called replacements for past stars (if your implying trying to find someone who will play exactly like Lampard and score 20 goals a season). What really needs to happen when looking at new midfielders is looking at their individual attributes and seeing how they can shape the team, for example Mata is not like Lampard because he does not position himself in midfield to make runs forwards (he starts behind the striker) and focus more on creating goals or others, wile Oscar also prefers starting in an advance position while thinking he opposite fro Lampard, because he likes to run deeper in the midfield to help the flow of the play. We need to be thinking how their way of playing can help the team be successful. Same when we buy new midfielders.

Taking the mindset of who will take the place of Lampard is a bad mentality and gets us no where when trying to progress forward.

I've sorta alluded to that I think - he's irreplaceable in the sense of a like-for-like replacement but someone will be wearing the shirt he wore on Sunday. We aren't going to shut up shop and say 'we had a nice run but we can't go on without him'.

In terms of goals from midfield, Mata is statistically on his way to a 25 goal (and 30 assist) season. He seems to have picked up the slack not just in terms of goals from that position but also in terms of getting key goals at key times (Leeds, Spurs, Norwich etc.).

His responsibilities will have to be spread amongst the team, but someone will play in that midfield two alongside someone else.

There wont be a lampard replacement.. At least not for a long time.

Again, we aren't going to play with 10 men and wear black armbands when he goes (we aren't scousers). Someone will be the 11th man on a team sheet.

[Heisenberg 1,824]

You'll never find a player of his type, such a leader , such a great professionnal , such a great passer , such a great goalscoarer.But we have Mata who in my opinion will be one of the leaders on the pitch.He has some characteristic of Lampard : Great professionnal , winning mentality , cope with pressure , decisive and not injured since he came.

[Hamilton 2,120]

In his last months at Genk i compared KDB couple of times with a young Lampard, so who knows..

Probably Oscar first choice at the moment.

[Leif 6,006]

Assuming that De Bruyne does stay here and isn't sold for whatever reason, I have to choose him. Despite him playing on the wings quite a few times and people believing that's his best position - whenever I've seen him play central he's reminded me only of Lampard when he was younger - with better passing, but not quite as good positioning (in an attacking sense).

[YouNameIt 1,511]

Again, we aren't going to play with 10 men and wear black armbands when he goes (we aren't scousers). Someone will be the 11th man on a team sheet.

Please at least TRY to think about what I meant you donkey. No one will replace Lampard in the near future. Regarding replacing his position, we already did that basically.

[Corner 456]

Please at least TRY to think about what I meant you donkey. No one will replace Lampard in the near future. Regarding replacing his position, we already did that basically.

How have you not been reported by now?

[YouNameIt 1,511]

How have you not been reported by now?

Dont go off topic.

[TorontoChelsea 4,064]

New signing I imagine but maybe Oscar. Oscar is a possibility because he has the skills to succeed there and if we don't play him there, he's not going to play nearly often enough to develop properly (or justify what we paid for him).. McEachran is the right position but he needs to develop more. De Bruyne has excellent offensive skills, but he's been playing much further up the pitch this season and not sure if he has the defensive ability to play there. Anyway, Oscar is the only player on the squad currently, I can see Chelsea considering giving the job too. Also, who knows what happens in the future with a new manager, new style, the deep-lying midfielder might not even exist on the team.

[Corner 456]

New signing I imagine but maybe Oscar. Oscar is a possibility because he has the skills to succeed there and if we don't play him there, he's not going to play nearly often enough to develop properly (or justify what we paid for him).. McEachran is the right position but he needs to develop more. De Bruyne has excellent offensive skills, but he's been playing much further up the pitch this season and not sure if he has the defensive ability to play there. Anyway, Oscar is the only player on the squad currently, I can see Chelsea considering giving the job too. Also, who knows what happens in the future with a new manager, new style, the deep-lying midfielder might not even exist on the team.

I think you're right with saying Oscar is the most likely to take on this role. His tactical awareness is actually very good and he has the intelligence to control the tempo of our play. I think he has all of the offensive attributes to perform the role but I don't think he has the defensive attributes quite yet. He's certainly not afraid of a challenge but he seems to dive into challenges a lot and needs to learn when and when not to go to ground.

Having a deep-lying playmaker in a 4-2-3-1 system can be very awkward though, and it only seems to work a complete all-round players that are very creative. But there are only two players in the world that I can think of that perform that role expertly in a 4-2-3-1 (Xabi Alonsi and Schweinsteiger). If we used 4-3-3, I think it would work much better if we're going to insist on having Oscar in a deeper role, which I think we will. Eddie Newton confirmed that Oscar is highly regarded as the player we're going to use there over the coming years, but we're going to gradually move him into that role.

Regarding playing time and development, I can't see Oscar's development being hampered too much. RDM was playing him a lot, but with no rotation. Benitez has stated clearly that his job was to come in and simply to win. He doesn't seem to have been entrusted with the task of player development. But when it comes to next season and we have either a new manager or Benitez has the job full-time, I'm sure Abramovich (or Emenalo) will be letting said manager know that the likes of Oscar and Hazard should be involved heavily in their plans. I'm not sure what the plans for KDB are but I can imagine him coming back to Chelsea next season and can see Marin being sold. Chelsea were adamant on sending KDB on loan for a season in the BPL, but that didn't happen. So I'm guessing he's held in fairly high regard and will be play a role in the first-team next season. Obviously, we can only speculate.

Just my two cents.

[Mufassir08 2,400]

I think it will be either KDB or Mceachran.I like oscar as a No#10 more then as a Cm.

[didierforever 7,349]

mceachran...

[joshmercury 20]

KDb is the closest we have to a lampard replacement. Oscar is more of attacking mid who can do a job in the pivot. Josh i dont think will make it(atleast for next 2 seasons).

Kdb will be given chance next season in lamps position if it doesnt work out we'll buy someone.

[The only place to be 11,313]

KDb is the closest we have to a lampard replacement. Oscar is more of attacking mid who can do a job in the pivot. Josh i dont think will make it(atleast for next 2 seasons).

Kdb will be given chance next season in lamps position if it doesnt work out we'll buy someone.

I like KDB, but we spent about £20 million on Oscar and I think that was mainly due to our inability to get Modric. I think the club sees him being Lampard's long-term replacement and I tend to agree. He has the vision, but also the workrate that you need in that position.

What he needs is time there, and for the fans to hold fire on criticising him if he has a few bad games. Having seen some of the responses to the Luiz experiment, that might be asking too much of some.