GETS HUMP WITH BLUES Midfielder claims standards slipping under Villas-boas
FRANK LAMPARD has delivered a scathing assessment of progress at Chelsea under Andre Villas-boas.
The midfielder has warned that standards are slipping at Stamford Bridge – with the Blues having gone from title challengers to top four contenders.
Lampard’s late winner at Wolves handed Chelsea a first Premier League victory in five games after a torrid end to 2011 for under-fire Villas-boas and his team.
But despite the win, the London club find themselves well adrift from Manchester City and Manchester United.
Lampard said: “I get the hump looking at the table and seeing we’re not fighting within a point or two of the lead, never mind being top.
“We all have to have the hump with that and make sure we react.
“The players in this squad need to be fighting for the league but there’s a big gap.
“But you have to have that mindset, because the minute you lose it you become a top four team as opposed to one challenging for the title.
“I hate to write it off but you have to be realistic – it would be a very big feat to do it.
“It’s a long way off, but seeing the results over the past few days you have to be aware that it can happen.
“Of course, the Champions League is the bare minimum. We’ve been involved in it for too long.
“With the squad we have amassed, it’s been a given for the last seven or eight years when we’ve also been fighting for titles.
“There’s no way we can drop that standard – that has to stay at the club.
“That’s what we’re used to, but there’s another six or seven teams saying that these days.”
Unrest
It isn’t just the league table that Lampard has got the hump over.
He was recalled by VillasBoas for the Molineux clash – but was nowhere to be seen when a group of Blues players headed to the dug-out to celebrate Ramires’ opener with their manager. Question marks over the Portuguese’s popularity were raised this week when more rumours of dressing room unrest over his tactics and man management surfaced.
And England ace Lampard has reminded his boss not to forget the players who have spent the last decade establishing Chelsea as a major force.
He added: “The spine of the team is what has made us what we are over the past seven years.
“I understand that things change with time, but what we’re about is that spine.
“So it’s nice to see big players who have been here a long time producing the goods.” Having flitted in and out of the team, Lampard also reiterated his desire to play more regularly.
“I’m very committed,” he said. “I will always stay completely behind the cause of Chelsea because that’s me now – Chelsea’s my club.
“It’s much easier for me when I’m starting games and playing 90 minutes to get into the rhythm I’ve found since I’ve been here.
“That’s what I love doing. That’s when I’m at my best. But the boss is the boss – he picks the team.”
Lampard has also insisted goal-shy £50million striker Fernando Torres has not played enough to regain his golden touch.
He added: “It’s not been easy for Torres. He hasn’t been playing that much and you need that edge.
“But he showed glimpses of what he’s all about.
“Sometimes strikers don’t score but you can see that sharpness in them and you are waiting for the goal to come.”