Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard is pleased that there have not been major changes at Stamford Bridge this summer, with continuity so important to maintaining success.
Ramires and Yossi Benayoun have been the major arrivals at the club, with a number of squad members exiting the club, but there has been little change to the core group that won both the Premier League and FA Cup last term.
"Continuity is nice, especially when you have won a double but you do want to add to it and make it better although at the same time you don't want to add to it and make it worse," Lampard told his club's official website.
"There is an element of keeping what you've got and only adding if you are adding better or good squad players.
"Five first-team squad players have left but we have started off very well and we have to keep that going. If we get injuries to big players we hope we have got the cover there."
Lampard also feels that winning the double last season has benefited the squad in terms of collective experience and confidence.
"I don't know about individually, everyone is a bit different. But as a group the double certainly has an effect on collective confidence," he added.
"That is a big positive but the negative is if people think we have won the double, let's rest on our laurels.
"It is very important to keep the confidence but make sure that you never get the feeling that we can easily do that again. The moment you think that then you won't win anything else, so it is a balancing act."
Meanwhile, Lampard feels that the current trend for two holding midfielders in managers' formations is not the one he prefers.
Rather, he feels that one defensive midfielder alongside a more advanced player is more effective.
"Formations do generally go in cycles. In the 90s it was 4-4-2 and then it changed and I think we were probably the instigators as much as anyone in England in making it 4-3-3 when [Jose] Mourinho was in charge," he explained.
"Then because football has become a bit more tactical and organized, it is about becoming harder to beat and teams want two holding midfielders sometimes.
"I personally don't like the system too much. I think one holding midfielder if they are good at their job is enough and I find if you have two in a straight line then it doesn't give you so many angles to play through midfield.
"I always think it is better to have people at different angles which mean one being deeper and the other two taking up different positions [further forward]."
Ramires and Yossi Benayoun have been the major arrivals at the club, with a number of squad members exiting the club, but there has been little change to the core group that won both the Premier League and FA Cup last term.
"Continuity is nice, especially when you have won a double but you do want to add to it and make it better although at the same time you don't want to add to it and make it worse," Lampard told his club's official website.
"There is an element of keeping what you've got and only adding if you are adding better or good squad players.
"Five first-team squad players have left but we have started off very well and we have to keep that going. If we get injuries to big players we hope we have got the cover there."
Lampard also feels that winning the double last season has benefited the squad in terms of collective experience and confidence.
"I don't know about individually, everyone is a bit different. But as a group the double certainly has an effect on collective confidence," he added.
"That is a big positive but the negative is if people think we have won the double, let's rest on our laurels.
"It is very important to keep the confidence but make sure that you never get the feeling that we can easily do that again. The moment you think that then you won't win anything else, so it is a balancing act."
Meanwhile, Lampard feels that the current trend for two holding midfielders in managers' formations is not the one he prefers.
Rather, he feels that one defensive midfielder alongside a more advanced player is more effective.
"Formations do generally go in cycles. In the 90s it was 4-4-2 and then it changed and I think we were probably the instigators as much as anyone in England in making it 4-3-3 when [Jose] Mourinho was in charge," he explained.
"Then because football has become a bit more tactical and organized, it is about becoming harder to beat and teams want two holding midfielders sometimes.
"I personally don't like the system too much. I think one holding midfielder if they are good at their job is enough and I find if you have two in a straight line then it doesn't give you so many angles to play through midfield.
"I always think it is better to have people at different angles which mean one being deeper and the other two taking up different positions [further forward]."
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