Why Frank Lampard is right to side with his youth players

Chelsea's victory at Carrow Road on Saturday was an entertaining affair. Frank Lampard's men starred in a five-goal thriller which accurately displayed both sides' attacking ambition and defensive complacency.

Tammy Abraham finally opened his account for the Blues, latching on to Cesar Azpilicueta's cross to score the first goal of the tie. Norwich immediately replied, exploiting Jorginho's defensive ineptitude, Teemu Pukku lashed a low cross to Todd Cantwell, who held Ross Barkley at bay to score past Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Despite a constant threat from the Canaries on the counter, Chelsea continued to blitz the opposition defense. A sumptuous exchange between Ross Barkley and Mason Mount saw the winger cut inside to score, restoring his side's lead.

Chelsea's defensive frailties were again laid bare, with Norwich getting routine opportunities to get back on level terms. Eventually, Daniel Farke's men took their chance when a meticulous through ball down the line found Pikku who scored from the tightest of angles.

The Blues showed a much-improved performance after the restart, Norwich were forced to settle inside their half for much of the opening stages of the second half, and even when they did manage to foray into Chelsea's territory, the inability of the midfield to break the opposition press starved the strikers of any prospective half chances.

Jorginho, Barkley and Christian Pulisic were culpable for wasting a host of clear cut chances, with the Englishman particularly looking suspect, often delaying the final shot.

The Blues were rewarded for their labors when Abraham deftly collected a pass from Mateo Kovacic to score between Norwich's defenders and their goalkeeper.

It was the first victory for Lampard after three previous attempts, and it duly justified his decision to stick with a young side. Abraham became the first Englishman in his squad to score a brace since Lampard did so against West Ham in 2013, and alongside Mount became the first English duo, aged 21 or younger, in the team to score in the Premier League since Eddie Newton and Graham Stuart scored against Sheffield Wednesday.

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard

Another striking feature of the squad was its average age, at 25 years and 54 days, this was the youngest Chelsea squad to feature in the League since 2012.

The accusations often leveled against the London side include an over-reliance on the transfer market for success, exploiting the loan system for profit, restricting team opportunities for youngsters, and an overtly negative defensive minded philosophy.

In a space of a few months, where his team is operating under a transfer embargo, Lampard has continued to install the attacking ethos favored by his predecessor, is backing youth players and giving them starting berths, and is genuinely trying to economically make use of the loan system.

The manager's readiness to move forward with the times, as evidenced with contemporary trends of swashbuckling attacking football, played in conjunction with defensive risks and tactical adaptability, and a penchant for the youth as witnessed in the rise of young superstars such as Kylian M'bappe and Jadon Sancho highlights a maturity that is rarely found amongst novice coaches.

This newfound philosophy will not only do much to initiate an image makeover of a club that was voted the most disliked team in England in a fan survey last year, but also induce much needed competition in a team whose stars had become complacent and whose young players looked at the club hierarchy with suspicion, especially after the transfer sanctions imposed on the club.

Most of all, adopting such a new approach will positively help the club make a good team base and compete for future trophies, with a young and talented squad, which would not need to spend extravagantly to be successful.

In overseeing the prospective application of this new youth model, coupled with the reduced spending of previous years, Lampard is right to stick by his young warriors and keep his team hungry with competition.