The Ballack Dilemma – Carling Cup Final 2008

When Chelsea and Tottenham meet in the Carling Cup Final on Sunday there will be plenty at stake, and not just local pride and the first domestic honours of the season. For Chelsea, the game could also go a long way to deciding the fate of one of the best players in their recent history. If Frank Lampard does not make the starting eleven at Wembley Stadium, as is widely expected, it will send shockwaves around Stamford Bridge, the ripple of which could ultimately trigger the beginning of the end of the England international’s Chelsea career.

Right now the Blues, and in particular manager Avram Grant have come to a crossroads, and with it the time has come for the perennially gloomy looking Israeli manager to truly show his hand. Since being appointed to replace Jose Mourinho against a wave of supporter discontent back in September 2007, Grant has carried the torch for the West London club admirably, winning twenty-four of his thirty-five games in charge, losing just two and keeping them alive in all four competitions. But for all the recent successes, the feeling persists that the squad is still very much that of Mourinho. Despite noises coming from Stamford Bridge around the time of the self-proclaimed Special One’s departure hinting that the team would take on a fresh new direction, one with attacking intent and plenty of goals, in reality little has changed under Grant’s tenure. Same players, same ethos, same system.

Despite the January signings of Nicolas Anelka and Branislav Ivanovic, a quite lengthy injury list and the African Cup of Nations has meant the opportunity to fathom in exactly what direction Grant wishes to take Chelsea has still never really presented itself. Short of dropping Ashley Cole every now and then little has changed. Now, with a fully fit squad to choose from, Sunday’s final promises to finally reveal exactly what Grant considers his best team. And in it there may be no place for Frank Lampard.

Since recovering from a long term ankle injury, Michael Ballack has appeared regularly for the Blues, and with a string of fine performances has shown precisely what made him one of Europe’s most coveted midfielders in the first place. Given that Michael Essien is more or less an automatic starter and Claude Makelele remains an invaluable defensive shield in games of this importance, it seems Avram Grant’s true midfield dilemma concerns who will occupy the third central midfield berth – Frank Lampard or Michael Ballack.

Ballack represents form and, currently, leadership; part of Chelsea’s new guard. Largely disregarded under Mourinho, Grant has shown great faith in the talented German during Lampard’s spell on the sidelines, making the former Bayern Munich star captain on numerous occasions. Lampard on the other hand represents the old guard – an ‘Untouchable’ under Mourinho and not only a fans’ favourite but a player with over 100 goals to his name in the blue of Chelsea. Grant must choose whether to go with the popular choice or, perhaps, the sensible one.

In doing so he must bear in mind the potentially grave consequences of leaving Lampard out. Despite proving his fitness with a two-goal cameo appearance against Huddersfield in the FA Cup 5th Round, Lampard was subsequently dropped for the Champions League clash with Olympiakos in midweek, prompting the first public hints of unrest from the Chelsea midfielder. “I don’t know how much rotation there’ll be in the future but it’s important we get a settled team in the run-in,” he stated. “Any good team I’ve been involved in has had a pretty settled line-up and it’ll be down to the manager to find that.” The implications are clear – Lampard considers himself a key part of that settled line-up, and does not expect to be rotated.

Amidst the backdrop of an increasingly urgent contract situ
ation, any lingering discontent may well push him towards the exit door at Stamford Bridge. Lampard’s contract expires in summer 2009 and, under Article 17 of Fifa’s transfer regulations he would be entitled to buy out the final two years of his contract – albeit at a cost of roughly £8 million. This could tempt clubs around Europe, with Barcelona apparently long-time admirers. Exclusion from the team on an occasion as distinguished as a Wembley cup final would be highly symbolic, and could persuade him to consider his future elsewhere.

Were all this to transpire of course it would not be the first time the fate of a club’s talisman were determined by the Carling Cup final. Its funny how in recent seasons, a competition considered by many as little more than inconsequential has in fact shaped the careers of some of English football’s most prominent characters. In 2006, it was the omission of Ruud van Nistelrooy from Sir Alex Ferguson’s starting lineup against Wigan that severely fractured their once strong relationship, and ultimately it proved the catalyst that saw the Dutchman leave Manchester United some months later. Jose Mourinho too considered the 2005 Carling Cup triumph over Liverpool as one that helped shape his legacy at the club, claiming that victory in the final provided the all-important spark that gave his players the belief they needed on the way to their first league title in 50 years.

So as we approach what promises to be an engaging cup final between two fierce London rivals, it will be interesting to see just how Avram Grant decides to call one of the toughest dilemmas of his embryonic Chelsea tenure. For Frank Lampard’s career, the consequences of Grant’s decision could prove to be as serious as his manager’s hangdog expression.

Avram Grant, Carling Cup Final, Chelsea, English League Cup, Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack, Tottenham Hotspur