Lampard converted a penalty as Chelsea beat Kitchee 4-0 to set up a final against Aston Villa, who were 1-0 winners over Blackburn. Lampard's role was largely focused on anchoring the Chelsea midfield, one which Villas-Boas believes the 33-year-old can perform with aplomb. The new Chelsea boss has no intention of fielding Lampard there game-in, game-out in the new Premier League season, but it is an option he wanted to assess and the result proved pleasing. "Frank has the ability to play in that role and it is good that he feels so well in that position and gives us that flexibility," Villas-Boas said. "I am glad we were able to test him this pre-season in this structure. "Frank is one of the best players in the world and he has the flexibility to play in many positions: in a number eight position, a number 10 position or a holding position. "We have seen throughout his career that he has the ability so it is nothing new that we were trying today, and it does not mean that we are going to use it to the fullness. "We are just happy to see that the players are able to play in various positions." Lampard put Chelsea in front from the spot nine minutes before half-time and Ubay Santana's own goal doubled the lead at the start of the second period. Didier Drogba's header and an impressive finish from substitute Daniel Sturridge completed the scoring. Villas-Boas opted for Drogba as the focal point of a three-pronged attack with Salomon Kalou and Florent Malouda either side, backed up by Yossi Benayoun in a central role, ahead of Lampard and Yury Zhirkov. The comfortable victory had been anticipated but Villas-Boas was still gushing with his praise. "I don't want to talk about an easy win because in the end there is always work and sweat and the players were magnificent, once again applying what we have been doing in training," he said, on chelseafc.com. "Their capacity to absorb new ideas and exploit the talent within themselves is very good, and some of them are doing it away from their natural positions. It is good to see the players are enjoying their games. "They kept the intensity very high from the beginning which is a good sign for us, and hopefully against the Premier League opposition that we play on Saturday we are able to have again this kind of performance." Villa should pose an altogether greater test of Chelsea under their new boss, who is considering deploying another system against Alex McLeish's side. "We need these different kind of structures for the Premier League and it is not impossible that on Saturday we try another formation with two strikers maybe, but it is not because you put another striker in attack that you become more attacking. It comes down to the dynamic of the team," Villas-Boas said. "The players' talent allows us to do this and it is also good for them to be challenged to play different ways."
