Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson wants Chelsea manager Frank Lampard to abandon the 4-3-3 in order to make room for Kai Havertz to play as a no.10.

The £72m signing has struggled since his arrival in the summer but, after the 3-1 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday, Merson feels the Blues need to be less predictable. He recommends playing two strikers with Havertz as the playmaker:

“They need to ditch the 4-3-3, get Kai Havertz behind a front two, get two up front, play that way and cause teams problems, because as it stands things are predictable with Chelsea.”

It is certainly a radical proposal by Merson but it is one that is unlikely to be implemented by Lampard. Playing a diamond in midfield would inevitably cause more problems defensively, and that was the main issue against City at the weekend.

Lampard is more likely to revert to three at the back if he has plans to change formation in the future. He did play the system at times last season in order to shore up the defence. Whether we’ll see a move away from the 4-3-3 system in upcoming matches, it remains to be seen.