Yohan Cabaye v Frank Lampard: Chelsea veteran will be left chasing the Frenchman’s shadows

Newcastle’s Yohan Cabaye and Chelsea’s Frank Lampard

Newcastle face an in form Chelsea side at St James’ Park tomorrow, in a fixture that could hinge on the midfield battle. A key measure of this will be the match-up between Newcastle’s creative hub – Yohan Cabaye – and Chelsea’s midfield anchor Frank Lampard. Lining up in the attacking midfield that became synonymous with Lampard over the years Cabaye could hold Newcastle’s best chance of opening up Chelsea’s generally watertight defence, and it will be up to Lampard to stop him.

Lampard vs Cabaye – Performance Score

An initial comparison of the two players performance scores suggest that, on paper at least, Lampard should edge the battle. He has scored a higher Performance Score than Cabaye over the season, making up for a lower attack score with a far higher possession score of 90. However, it should be noted that Lampard has had one game more to accumulate his score, and has also been playing for a side sat near the top of the table rather than one stranded in mid-table

Lampard only managed 65 minutes of Chelsea’s last game before he was replaced by John Obi Mikel, and concerns over his place in the side would only have been exacerbated when watching Mikel and Michael Essien boss the midfield in Chelsea’s Capital One Cup win over Arsenal during the week.

The England midfielder is in need of a big performance to reassert his authority over the defensive midfield role, and will need to stop Cabaye if he is to do so.

Cabaye has created nine chances for Newcastle this season, with many coming from deep areas. The Action Area Map above shows the areas from which Cabaye has created his chances. The player that Newcastle look for to set their tempo has created a number of chances from deep areas. If Lampard can get a grip on the Frenchman in these parts of the pitch, then it will go a very long way to controlling the Magpies attacking threat.

In order to do so, Lampard is likely to need to press his opponent more than he is used to. Cabaye’s excellent passing range means that he has the ability to quickly move Newcastle’s play from midfield to forward areas. His average pass length of 21 metres is the fourth highest of any Toon player, only behind goalkeeper Tim Krul and centre-backs Fabricio Coloccini and Paul Dummett.

Newcastle’s resurgence in the second half of their match against Everton, in which Cabaye appeared as a half-time substitute, underlines the Frenchman’s importance to the team. If Lampard allows him time on the ball then has the quality to hit long passes such as the two key passes highlighted in yellow on the Pass Map from the Everton game shown above.

Closing Cabaye down quickly is also important to stop his long-range shooting. Cabaye has scored two goals from distance this season, and Chelsea will be wary of his ability to ping a shot from outside the box.

Reinventing himself as a defensive midfielder in light of his advancing years, Lampard does not produce the number of defensive actions that the likes of Yaya Toure and Michael Carrick do. Against Manchester City Lampard made four clearances, three interceptions, and not a single tackle. Of his seven defensive actions, five occurred inside his own box – a percentage that cannot continue if he is to stifle Cabaye’s creative threat from deep.

Over the course of a season, Lampard is the 74th highest midfielder in the number of interceptions made – a considerably poor figure that suggests that if Cabaye is on top form he could leave the England midfielder chasing shadows. Whilst Lampard has performed solidly this season, he will need a expert performance in an unfamiliar role to stop Cabaye and could be in for a busy afternoon.