Chelsea boss welcomes Havertz and Abraham poser

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has welcomed the selection problem posed by Kai Havertz and Tammy Abraham for Saturday’s game against West Brom.

England striker Abraham looked sharp throughout the 6-0 Carabao Cup mauling of Barnsley on Wednesday, scoring the first goal on his first start of the season and then being involved in all of the three goals scored by Havertz – the German’s first in a Chelsea shirt following his close-season arrival from Bayer Leverkusen.

With Timo Werner rested in midweek, but starring on his first two Blues appearances as a striker, Lampard could look to bring back Werner but play him out wide to accommodate Havertz and Abraham, using the latter through the middle.

Wingers Christian Pulisic and Hakim Zieych are both still out through injury, although back in training, so Lampard’s options out wide are limited. That could help Abraham’s cause and mean Werner, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Havertz and Ross Barkley are competing to play in the supporting attacking roles.

Lampard said the performances of Havertz and Abraham gave him a “nice problem”.

“To see the way they linked, to see the attributes of Tammy and Kai and to see them form an understanding – albeit in one game. I need those options,” he added.

“They are the challenges that lie ahead for us, to work on those combinations with the new players we have coming in. We also saw Olivier Giroud come on and make an impact against Barnsley, in terms of his goal – and he could have made a couple. It’s a long season and we need different options to break down teams.”

Lampard added that trying to keep players happy in a large squad was not easy.

“It is always a tough element at this level,” he said. “We need a big squad with the competitions. We just want them to be part of a squad which can do something special. The collective spirit can be important.”