Lampard drifts on very thin ice
DAMAGING: LEICESTER THREATEN TRADITIONAL TOP SIX
Manager Frank Lampard has again found himself fighting to remain in charge at Stamford Bridge after Chelsea suffered a damaging 2-0 defeat by Leicester City on Tuesday.
The Blues have now won just two of their last eight league games and fallen to eighth place on the log.
Chelsea were expected to challenge for the title after a £220 million spending spree in the transfer market.
But it is Leicester who are threatening to recreate their heroics of the 2015/16 season when they shocked the football world to win the Premier League, as firsthalf goals from Wilfried Ndidi and James Maddison earned a thoroughly deserved win.
“It sounds nice ‘top of the Premier League’,” said Maddison. “It’s a good one psychologically because we’ve worked really hard. It’s a great achievement halfway through the season.”
But a second title in five years would be less of a surprise, despite the financial gulf between Leicester and the traditional top six, as they have established themselves as a force to be reckoned with since Brendan Rodgers took charge nearly two years ago.
“There might be teams able to spend a lot more money than us and bring in quality from abroad and pay big wages, but our team spirit and togetherness will continue to try and keep us up there,” added Maddison.
“We’re not up there by a fluke, we’re up there because we work hard.
“People might talk about United, Liverpool, Tottenham or whatever, but let them talk. We’ll do our business in the background and hopefully at the end of the season it will give us a chance of being right up there.”
Rodgers is reportedly one of Chelsea’s potential targets should Lampard be dismissed in the coming days.
The former England international again criticised the desire of his players to match the work rate of their opponents, as he did after a 3-1 defeat to Arsenal last month.
“The basics and bare minimums are to run, sprint and cover ground, and too many of our players didn’t do it.
“We were certainly beaten by the better team,” said Lampard.
The margin of defeat could have been far more humiliating for Lampard and his Chelsea side had Leicester been much more clinical in the second half. –