Lampard insists Chelsea not broken ahead of Real Madrid last-eight showdown
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard put on a brave face as he insisted his team is not “broken” as co-owner Todd Boehly addressed the squad, ahead of their Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid.
Chelsea trail Real Madrid 2-0 after losing the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu and enter today’s clash on the back of a six-match winless run. Interim manager Lampard has now lost his first three games in charge. The Blues are 17 points off the top four despite spending more than €600 million on new players. As things stand, winning the Champions League is the club’s only realistic chance of qualifying for the competition next season.
There were reports that an upset Boehly entered the dressing room after the recent loss to Brighton & Hove Albion to talk to the squad. Lampard said he understood the situation.
“I think there was some criticism of our old owner [Roman Abramovich] for not coming to games and being around. That wasn’t always true, to be fair,” he said.
“When an owner is invested in helping the team, it is their prerogative to have the input they want. I’m not going to say what he (Boehly) said but it’s normal when he comes to the changing room.”
Chelsea are in a similar situation to when they finished sixth in the league in 2011-12 – with Lampard a player at the club – but qualified for the Champions League after winning the competition.
“We are not where we want to be. I think the word ‘broken’ is a bit much. The league position is reality and we are 2-0 down (in this tie),” Lampard said yesterday. “We have to work against that, I don’t think anything that happens tomorrow will be better than when we won the Champions League (in 2012).
“It’s down to us as a team to play with desire and know-how to turn this game around. I’ve been here too many times on a Champions League night not to understand that the atmosphere is going to be great. It is down to us to engage the crowd.”
Lampard said he was “proud” of the club, irrespective of results. “What will be, will be after tomorrow,” Lampard added. “Every game is an opportunity to win ... an opportunity to get back to winning.
Every game is and should be a huge game.”
Meanwhile, Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos and winger Vinicius Jr will be available for the trip to Chelsea after missing Saturday’s 2-0 win at Cadiz.
Former Germany international Kroos and Brazil international Vinicius Jr, arguably Real’s most influential player this season, were left out of the game against lowly Cadiz in order to recover from leg muscle strains.