Chelsea Are in Need of a New Striker, but Not Liverpool's Rickie Lambert

The talking points were many from Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Liverpool on Sunday.

There was the Steven Gerrard ovation, the poor defending for both goals and a full Premier League debut for Chelsea's Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

What's slipped under the radar is Rickie Lambert's performance. Perhaps because his contribution was so little, the masses have forgotten that he played at all.

Maybe he was that bad, the silence said it all.

But play he did, having a part in John Terry's opener while also cutting a lonely figure up front as Liverpool's front man.

Lambert's performance was disappointing in the extreme, and it said plenty about his status at Anfield when he was replaced in the 68th minute by 18-year-old Jerome Sinclair.

The scores were level and Chelsea were visibly shifting down the gears. They're champions already, so there was no need for Jose Mourinho's men to chase a win.

There was for Liverpool, though. Victory at Stamford Bridge would have kept their slim hopes of a top-four place alive; a draw was no good to them.

The responsibility for winning this game wasn't Lambert's in the end. Brendan Rodgers preferred to put that on a player who can count his senior appearances at Anfield on one hand.

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It was just the second time in almost three years that Liverpool supporters had seen Sinclair take to the field—he made his debut in September 2012, then as a 16-year-old—but that didn't matter for Rodgers.

Lambert had failed so significantly, what else could the manager do? May as well give the kid a go.

If he wasn't paying attention, Mourinho should have been.

Only last week Lambert was being linked with a move to Stamford Bridge in the Guardian, the notion being that Mourinho is eager to replace 37-year-old Didier Drogba with another experienced striker to be his third choice.

We're still not quite sure where Drogba will be next season. Will he retire or soldier on for one last hurrah in a career that has seen him play in England, France, China and Turkey?

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According to the man himself, he wants the latter, but it's looking unlikely to be with Chelsea given the club are yet to offer him a new deal.

Whenever Mourinho faces Rodgers—or another of his former coaches, for that matter—it's often billed as a Master vs. Apprentice bout, with the Chelsea boss being the dominant figure in that matchup.

Come full-time, it was Rodgers handing out the lessons.

Indeed, it was almost like a Field of Dreams moment when Sinclair replaced Lambert; Rodgers being the mysterious voice addressing Mourinho from the Stamford Bridge terraces: "Pick the kids, Jose. Pick the kids."

Just as Rodgers eventually preferred an 18-year-old to Lambert on Sunday, faced with the choice, Mourinho should be doing the same next season.

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Sinclair is highly rated at Anfield, and the club has big hopes he'll go on to emulate some of their homegrown strikers from the past, such as Michael Owen and Robbie Fowler.

At Chelsea, they have players expected to do much more.

Next season is probably too early to entrust the free-scoring Dominic Solanke and Tammy Abraham with regular first-team duties, but what of Patrick Bamford, who has blazed a trail through the Championship this season?

Still only 21, Bamford's story is similar to Lambert's. He's played his way through the divisions—albeit on loan—to develop enough of a reputation to be considered a genuine prospect in west London.

Lambert did the same, but it took years of slogging it out in League 1 and the Championship for him to get promoted with Southampton and earn a shot at the big time.

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Both are admirable journeys, yet here's the difference. A Lambert experiment would give Chelsea what exactly? A year of service, two at the most?

He may come with experience, but as Liverpool have found themselves this term, that is by no means a guarantee he will be an asset.

The only way from here is down for Lambert. He's 33, the best days of his career long gone.

Bamford's equally an unknown quantity. Whether or not he develops significantly enough to become a Chelsea regular is dependent on plenty of factors, but right now he's making all the right noises.

Will he compete with Diego Costa for a starting place? No, but then few would.

What Chelsea need next season is to continue building the way they have been. That comes with integrating more of their talented youngsters, adding depth to a squad where the starting XI all but picks itself.

Lambert or a kid? Rodgers has answered that question already.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes