Chelsea’s winning of the Premier League title or the Champions League this campaign is totally unrealistic although this is Frank Lampard’s second season as the Chelsea coach. Not much progress is evident in the squad still since he has arrived. Instead, the club is still in a transition phase.
There is still inconsistency, poor defending, and missed chances. The new faces will undoubtedly add quality to the side but there has been no significant improvement as yet. As a manager, Lampard is trying to progress. The coach himself talked about learning a lot from his debut season last term as a manager.
Chelsea has been eliminated by Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspurs which implies there will be no Carabao cup glory for the Blues.
There will be no Carabao Cup celebration for Lampard’s boys as they got eliminated on Tuesday night by Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham. Mourinho admitted about not prioritizing the League Cup just before the Chelsea face-off due to the fixture congestion his team is facing so early in the new campaign.
Chelsea was in the driving seat against a half-strength Spurs because of a fine goal from their German striker, Timo Werner. It was his first Premier League goal ever.
Werner, along with Senegalese keeper Edouard Mendy, left-back Ben Chilwell, Hakim Ziyech, and Thiago Silva are all part of the massive summer spending of £220 million ($275m). The major squad overhaul and addition of talented attackers and players have made the pundit consider Chelsea as a contender in the big competitions.
The penalty shootout which kicked Chelsea out of the League Cup had been going smooth all the way until the 10th kick when youngster, Mason Mount failed to convert the spot-kick.
Lampard’s team should have sealed the match way before the final whistle after prolonged domination and attacking threats. But the blame is on the defence once again and eventually, the opportunities missed returned to haunt them at the end of the game.
Mason Mount, Werner, and Callum Hudson-Odoi- all the three players wasted chances to kill the game before the equalizer. Just seven minutes before the final whistle, a poor defending led to a late Erik Lamela goal which took the match to the penalty shoot-outs.
Lampard admitted the tactical genius of Mourinho who understood the first-half play and instructed his players to make the Blues run backward that eventually gave more difficulty. Moreover, the continuous games Spurs were playing in 8 days span gave Chelsea an added advantage to win the tie.
That’s why Lampard’s side was heavy favourites despite being away from home, but again the players could not convert their dominance of possession into anything meaningful.
The transition is proving to be slow although massive spending was followed after the expiration of a UEFA transfer ban. The start is not what the fans expected before this season.
German winger, Kai Havertz, despite his hat-trick last week in the Carabao Cup, has yet to unleash his true potential in Premier League games. He has not justified the price tag which he came to Stamford Bridge and also he hasn’t done anything to back up the ‘generational talent’ which everyone talks about him.
Thiago Silva, meanwhile, had a nightmare debut in the match against West Brom after he made a big error to concede a goal. Left-back Chilwell finally got to spend a short spell in a game after his injury but there is still no information about the injured Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech.
Although unproductive in front of goal, Werner has been somewhat good in most of the matches and the new goalkeeper from Rennes, Edouard Mendy managed to collect praise from the coach after his first outing. However, the new arrivals need to adapt quickly to their new club where questions are arsing alongside expectations.
At a very difficult time during COVID-19. owner Roman Abramovich backed his manager in the transfer market and is positive about Frank Lampard’s reign as a coach. Lampard is also a legendary figure in the club’s history.
With a broken squad and transfer ban, Lampard has been able to secure a Champions League game by finishing in the top four last season. But there still remain doubts over his tactical skills.
In spite of all, he is staking his individual reputation on succeeding as a manager at a club which he loves and where he is totally a legend figure as a player.
But still, it’s too early to say as every manager struggled to start at their very first but went to become great managers in football history. The only way he can calm the current situation is by showing signs that he can compete for honours in the near future along with his team.
