Frank Lampard hasn't played for Chelsea for over two months. Despite speculation that he could return on Sunday, a training ground injury will extend Lampard's absence another three weeks, taking his time out of the Chelsea lineup to over three months.
Frank Lampard Abductor Strain To Keep Midfielder Out Of Chelsea Team For Three More Weeks
According to Chelsea’s website, Lampard picked up an abductor muscle injury during Thursday training. The report noted that despite the injury occurring to the groin area, this is not a reoccurrence of Lampard’s hernia problem. The new ailment will keep the England international out until December.
While Chelsea initially performed well in Lampard's absence, the Blues' midfield has looked thin over the last few matches. With Michael Essien suspended for Sunday's game against Sunderland, Lampard's return went from wanted to needed. While the league-leaders should still be able to manage without their two best midfielders, the combination of Yuri Zhirkov and Ramires has struggled, being dominated in the first half of last Sunday's match at Liverpool. With the Black Cats likely to play five in midfield, Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti may finally need to adjust his tactics in order to compensate for injuries.
With a four point lead atop the English Premier League, the Blues have margin for error. They also have a forgiving run of fixtures, with Sunday's Sunderland match followed by a trip to Birmingham City (Nov. 20), a match at Newcastle (Now. 28) before returning home to face Everton (Dec. 4), a team that gave Chelsea problems last year.
Lampard has only appeared in three matches this season, scoring once, in the season opener against West Bromwich Albion. His last appearance was August 28 when Chelsea beat Stoke City 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.
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