FRANK SINKS TO NEW LOW
Chelsea flop again...and it’s Jose up next
FRank laMpaRD stood where antonio Conte would pace with manic intensity and Maurizio Sarri would draw wearily on his cigarette butt, and he sank deeper into his quilted jacket.
Chelsea are spluttering. they are fading, vulnerable at home and the chasing pack is closing fast.
tottenham and Manchester United are finding ways to win. arsenal are stirring. Manchester City’s ban from European football may come to the rescue but lampard is starting to display the anxious signs of his predecessors.
he knows there are issues to solve and he must find the answers fast or qualification for the Champions league will be thrown into doubt, and that is often a trigger for owner Roman abramovich to pay close attention.
next up at Stamford Bridge, the familiar menace of Jose Mourinho. ‘Judas is still no 1,’ said Mourinho when he returned with Manchester United. on Saturday he will be back for the first time with tottenham seeking revenge for defeat at White hart lane in December.
If Chelsea lose, they will be overtaken by their london rivals and the Uniteds of Manchester and Sheffield will have the chance to go past them. they have won only one in six in the premier league. they have lost their fizz.
lampard’s longing for fresh blood in the winter window was a sign that he knew it was coming. the same young players who made such an impression in the opening weeks of the season are finding it tough to keep going as the pressure intensifies.
they have suffered most at home before an expectant if supportive audience and are turning into a fierce run of fixtures. after Spurs, Bayern Munich are next at the Bridge. liverpool and Everton, rejuvenated by Carlo ancelotti, and champions Manchester City follow next month.
there are problems to solve. the goalkeeper is not the only one but it is an appropriate place to start on a night when the home fans unfurled a new banner in the Shed End in honour of legendary keeper peter Bonetti. the tribute caught the eye, green against the wall of blue, fluttering in the breeze as kepa arrizabalaga festered on the bench.
kepa, the £71.6million record signing, the world’s most expensive goalkeeper and supposed to be Chelsea’s no 1 for a generation. It is an issue lampard (below) was not supposed to have. When kepa was left out in the Fa Cup and not recalled before the mini-break it seemed as if it might be a shock tactic designed to jolt him back into form and focus.
Willy Caballero was not impressive against leicester and cost his team with a poor decision to abandon his line. yet he was back in goal last night and the 38-year-old was beaten by United’s first effort on goal, a header by anthony Martial, and the second, a header by harry Maguire.
he might have expected better protection from his defenders but Chelsea are misfiring in all areas.
at the back they are fragile. Up front goals are hard to find especially with tammy abraham, Callum hudson- odoi and Christian pulisic injured.
the front three of Michy Batshuyi flanked by Willian and pedro came with a distinctly retro feel and lampard’s decision to play abraham despite an injury at leicester seems to have backfired. Reece James was the only English starter for Chelsea and it is perhaps no coincidence that he started the season late due to injury.
Mason Mount was soon on for n’Golo kante, who suffered another setback in a season bedevilled by fitness worries, and he looked bright and creative.
But when Chelsea needed a bit of luck it eluded them and VaR decisions went against them. First a possible red card for Maguire and then the goals by kurt Zouma and olivier Giroud ruled out. these are new tests for lampard and his coaching team. they outwitted Mourinho at tottenham before Christmas. But the fortunes of the teams have veered in opposite directions since and the Spurs boss will relish the chance to turn the screw when he rolls back into SW6.