Frank Lampard openly accused his Chelsea squad of not putting in enough effort during training throughout the season in the aftermath of their 4-1 loss to Manchester United on Thursday night.
Despite a few positive moments early in the game, the team’s poor finishing in front of goal allowed Manchester United to exploit their weaknesses.
Lampard acknowledged before the match that Chelsea’s overall “standards” had been declining, and he didn’t hold back when asked about his comments after the final whistle.
He emphasized the importance of having strong foundational standards for any team to succeed in the Premier League.
“It’s a simple thing to say but any team that wins in the Premier League has them [standards] as a base because without them the tactics do not matter,” Lampard said.
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“Training well every day, trying to improve, being a real collective unit. There are some variables for the players, everyone talks about the bog squad and I understand that it’s hard for the coaches this year at the club – I get it because I’ve lived that for nine league games now.
“Sometimes you can say that is maybe a factor – if you want to call it an excuse – but as a player you have to put that to the side and focus on your own game. Since I’ve been in I’ve understood quickly that some of the collective standards – and it’s for the individuals within that to realise who they are – this is not a blanket, we just have to find the reasons for why the club is where it’s at, and there are many.
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“It’s not just finger-pointing at the players because it’s definitely not a lack of effort this evening, but you build up the credit through your training and your prep, and you build up resilience. I was fortunate enough to be a player here for many years and you can look at the group and the player next to you and know that he’s worked on his standards and everything is there to rely on each other.
“It’s a bad year for the club, and many clubs have these years when we’ve had massive success for the last 20 years or whatever, but the important thing is you get to the bottom of how it improves. It needs a reboot, the club will move on in the summer in terms of what the squad looks like, and as a Chelsea player where we want to be, everything has to be improved to get to the level.”
Chelsea’s current season has been disappointing, with the team set to finish with their lowest points tally ever. Additionally, their 16 defeats mark an unwanted club record. Unless they achieve a miraculous nine-goal victory against Newcastle on the final day, Chelsea will also end the campaign with their lowest goal tally.
It is clear that Lampard recognizes the need for significant improvements within the squad and the club as a whole, as they aim to bounce back and reclaim their previous levels of success.
