Chelsea boss Frank Lampard wants players to react in times of difficulty
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Chelsea interim boss Frank Lampard has four defeats in all four games he has taken charge of so far.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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LONDON – When the going gets tough, the tough get going – that is how Chelsea interim manager Frank Lampard wants his players to react in times of adversity.
Club owner Todd Boehly had hoped that hiring the 44-year-old until the end of the season following the sacking of Graham Potter would have been a positive for the team.
However, the former manager from 2019-2021 has overseen four defeats in four games and only one goal scored.
The Blues have only seven games to salvage something from a disastrous season, and Lampard has hinted that it is not only him, but his players as well, who have to step up.
“Very clear we came to this club when it’s in difficulty,” he said on Tuesday, ahead of their Premier League home clash with Brentford on Wednesday.
“A lot of factors as to the four games we’ve had since we’ve been working here. The team and club have been struggling for a while and we’ve came into help. The world won’t change in a short time.
“I was fortunate enough to be part of teams challenging for stuff at the end of the season but that’s not a given. You won’t compete absolutely every season, so it comes down to your personal responsibility. The run-in is really tough, my interest is to see how the players react to that.”
Media reports on Monday said that former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino is in talks to take over Chelsea. For now, though, Lampard’s job is to do the best he can.
“I’m not going to get involved in any future manager talk,” he added. “It’s all speculation, like you say, it’s simple as that.”
The Blues are languishing in 11th place in the standings – before Tuesday’s round of matches – and five points behind Brentford.
They are 20 points behind the top four, so any hope of a Champions League spot appears to be over and Lampard will be seeking a top-half spot to avoid Chelsea’s worst league finish for 27 years (11th in 1995-96).
Without a proper No. 9 and Kai Havertz leading the attacking most of this season, they are finding it difficult to score, with only 30 goals in 31 games.
Chelsea head into Wednesday’s match having already drawn a blank against Brentford in a 0-0 away
One positive is that the Blues have won six of their last eight home encounters with the Bees, and another victory will be a massive boost ahead of next week’s big clash at Arsenal.
Lampard will be without the injured Kalidou Koulibaly, Armando Broja, Reece James, Mason Mount and Havertz.
Brentford have been struggling of late – their winless league run was extended to six when they drew 1-1 at home to Aston Villa beating Chelsea 4-1
