#PLStories- Frank Lampard on Chelsea jeopardy, exonerating players, Cucurella and Aubameyang #CHELSEAFC
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Frank Lampard
How did you assess the performance? Unlucky with the first goal?
I think we knew the moment that we’re in. Madrid was a version of it, we missed chances, then the games goes against you. Today I think we had a footballing control of the game. Brentford will always make it difficult by turning you around and winning throw-ins and corners. Obviously the goal comes from that.
Second half we were more dynamic, created more chances and they do us on the counter-attack. I’m not going to sit here and bemoan the players. The opposite, I feel for the players tonight because it wasn’t an application thing, we controlled the game, we created some chances. I think with 20% more confidence as a group, we win the game probably. No disrespect to Brentford because they can go with anybody. I think the game set up for me today, we would win the game and we don’t probably in this moment.
Players not involved, who was fit or unfit?
Cucurella is injured. He injured himself in training two days ago. He will be out for a few weeks with a quad injury. Bettinelli injured, recovering. The others, not in the squad.
Ten goals in Chelsea’s starting lineup, impossible to get more goals, what can you do with the players as a group? Does it need to change?
We’ll see about that. There is a balance of the squad to address, everyone can see that. You’re right about what can you do because this has been a problem that predates me coming into this. When there are not so many goals you also have to make sure you’ve players who can do a tactical job and work for the team. We saw that against Madrid, played a similar starting lineup in terms of goal, everybody told me there aren’t many goals, those are my options.
We have to keep working and fighting to try and create opportunities to score goals. I think it’s two things. Maybe there aren’t goals so much in the team and when you are low on confidence, that last bit, that last chance. Auba comes on and has a couple of moments. Auba hasn’t played so many minutes, maybe a fresh Auba comes on and scores those goals. There are different parts to that. It’s a clear issue with the squad hence why we haven’t scored enough goals for a team like Chelsea.
Did his presence give the team an extra threat?
Yeah, I think so. Auba has been a tough one for me because I have complete respect for him as a player, scored 300 and whatever goals in his career. He couldn’t play the two Madrid games for me because he’s not in the squad. He came on against Wolves. For a No.9 particularly to be sharp and to be playing regularly is key.
To see him train, when we’ve not had big minutes to train and the last few days I’ve seen him be able to train. He was in my thinking for today anyway. He certainly has the profile of a No.9 and we don’t have that elsewhere in the squad, so I did see a difference.
Where will you find confidence in the remaining fixtures?
That’s just a reality, we’ve got a really tough run-in. Three of those top four games are away from home. I don’t think it’s worth going one step further than the next one at the minute which is Arsenal. So the team have to be motivated, there’s a lot on it.
Even though people go ‘there’s not much on it for you, you’re not going to get in Europe, you’re not going to get relegated’. At the same time you have be individually motivated. I thought today they were. Then you have to keep fighting for the turn. I’ve been a player in a moment, maybe not similar to exactly now, but individually. Sometimes you rely on a teammate who is in great confidence, great nick and they get you a result on a night like tonight. At the minute we’re in a collective moment like that.
The only way out of it is to work. We play a back three in the first half and control the game, we’re not effective enough at the top end of the pitch. We go back four, we’re more effective but concede on the counter-attack. It’s not a tactical problem for me at the minute in the short term. At the minute there’s clearly a confidence problem and I can see that in the players faces because they’re not sitting there bemoaning each other at this moment. There’s a nature of them being down. I walked into that, they’ve been living it longer than me and we’re trying everything to effect it. Firstly with performance, and then for results. We have to keep going with that.
Five defeats, did you underestimate the size of the task? Could it damage you as a manager?
I don’t know. I’m not concerned about what people outside think because I don’t think they ever understand the conditions of what you’re working with. There’s an understanding of where we’re at as a club. Two of those games against Real Madrid and clearly when I came in, I’m here for a reason, the results weren’t what they want.
The challenge, I didn’t have a bar what the challenge was going to be. I understood there would be challenges behind the scenes because of where we are. That’s been clear to me coming in. In a short time frame, it’s really hard at this stage of the season to get that turn, you just have to keep working for it and we haven’t got it yet. I’m not concerned, I took it on knowing the jeopardy of what it might be.
I’m very proud to manage here and I’ve been in similar situations. I came here in a difficult moment before and we had big success in my first year. I went to Everton, I had a challenge to stay in the league, I stayed in the league. People will always perceive me in a different way anyway. In this short term, I’m not worried, I want to win games, it’s clear. I understand the problems as to why we’re probably not winning games. I got asked before about belief and how you’re going to change that. I can’t just say ‘lads, believe’ and they’re going to run out and believe. These things take time and a bit of work and then maybe something goes in your favour.
Tonight nothing went in our favour. We have to keep working towards the idea that something will. If it’s against Arsenal, Bournemouth or Forest. The bigger picture for Chelsea will be much bigger as the club moves forward in the summer and onwards. In this short period with the players I’m working with, they need to dig deep to find that one.
Fans made they’re feelings clear, some perhaps surprised to hear you exonerating players?
Have you not watched Brentford in the last two or three seasons? Watched Brentford go and win at Man City earlier in the season. I can’t sit here and exonerate..
After success of last two decades, they’re going to be worried?
Absolutely they’re worried because you’re a Chelsea fan, you’ve been used to 20 years of success and you want it more. I’ve no problem with fans booing. I’m not sitting here to go against the fans to say don’t boo the players, you’re throwing that question out there. Absolutely not. I defend the players because I know that they’re young lads that want to do well. Is there an issue with confidence? Yeah. Is there an issue with the balance of the squad? Maybe, yeah. But when I say people don’t understand I’m not patronising everybody and expecting them to have an idea of what’s going on behind the scenes but when you work with it, you understand this Premier League. If you think Brentford are going to come and turn around and have corners and throw-ins against you and you’re going to walk that game, that’s not the case anytime.
When you’re in this moment of a lack of confidence it can be difficult to win a game. When you say I’m exonerating the players, far from it. I’m just supporting them in the fact they’re in there disappointed because they wanted to win that game today and they performed, in my opinion, like they wanted to win it. Are they short on confidence? Yeah. Are we dynamic in the final third? No. Have we been for a long time before I came here? No. So, those things are not things that are going to turn overnight so we have to keep working. I understand the fans are booing. I don’t think anybody is saying they can’t believe that is the case today. They want us to win. When we win, they cheer. When we lose I can absolutely understand them being disappointed.
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