Chelsea coach, Frank Lampard urges his players to fight as their back is against the wall after series of poor results. The Blues coach says that the only option the team has is to fight- which is the most crucial quality at the moment.
Chelsea has won just one game in their previous five fixtures in the Premier League with their only positivity coming from the FA Cup games.
The fans and the media have been criticizing the way of Lampard’s gameplan and tactics while new signings- Timo Werner and Havertz have come under huge bashing due to their off-form.
Lampard’s job is in jeopardy and he is aware of that as Thomas Tuchel’s name floating in the air to replace him. But he opts to rather fight and stay strong and he believes that only getting positive results can turn around the situation.
‘I’m a fighter first and foremost,’ he said in the Official Chelsea website. ‘I managed to make a career out of the game as a player and when I packed up, I could easily have stayed in the media or come out of football completely but I got back involved with a desire to be successful.
‘I didn’t have the blinkers on. I knew there would be tough times and things you couldn’t control like you did as a player.
‘I love the job and I love the fact that if you can fight your way out of those tough times – that’s me and the players – it’s the best feeling in football.’
Lampard left no stones unturned when he directly blamed his players’ lethargic attitude in the games. He indicated that the biggest factor at the crisis is desire, drive and positivity.
‘It’s a talented group but a young group in parts,’ he went on. ‘Maybe you look at previous title-winning squads and the players you relied on week-in, week-out who have been there and done it a bit more, but we are fighting on different levels now.
‘Fight is an important word in football. We have to put things to the side. I don’t think it’s going to be 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 that will win us games in the short-term. It will be the passion, desire and togetherness of the team.’
‘When I was a player here, I always looked at managers and considered what good times and tough times looked like for them, and how that responsibility is different to a player,’ he added.
‘Fortunately, in the 18 months I’ve been here, I have managed to get both levels. I’ve had some really good individual games, like the last game of last season to qualify for the Champions League.
‘I have thought about the tough times and it’s fine. You have to go into the job wanting to handle pressure, wanting to handle success in the right way, being humble about it at all times. That is what I do. Talk can be nonsense. It’s only actions that matter and all I can control is what’s in front of me.’
Lampard knows the value the club holds as he spent his 13 years at Stamford Bridge. He is aware of the rewards the club can give you as a player and also knows the pressure that the shirt brings in. He also says that good times can always outweigh worse times if there is a level of determination to turn things around.
