Ruislip & Eastcote & Northwood Gazette
LAMPARD CELEBRATES FIVE WINS ON THE BOUNCE
CHELSEA BOSS PRAISES TEAM AFTER 1-0 NEWCASTLE VICTORY
FRANK LAMPARD could not contain his delight after Chelsea’s 1-0 Premier League win against Newcastle United made it five in a row for his rampant Blues.
The boss saw his men pick up three points thanks to Marcos Alonso’s fierce left-footed shot midway the second half – and it could have been more, even though he was not satisfied with his side’s first-half showing.
“Credit to Newcastle, you can see why they’ve got a couple of big results this year,” he said. “They’re organised, have men behind the ball, a threat on the counter attack and in the first half we were a little bit safe and a little bit slow.
“We moved the ball side-to-side but not with enough urgency and not enough risk to take people out of the game. That was the message at half-time and for the majority of the second half we did that.
“We created a lot, the combinations were good and we played between the lines more. People were going one-on-one, Callum [Hudson-Odoi], Willian, Christian [Pulisic] when he came on, and there should have been more goals. It would have made the last 10 minutes more comfortable.
“I’m delighted with five wins in a row. If there was a worry it was that the international break might have cut our momentum and we’d forget the good things we were doing to get those results, but particularly in the second half you saw a spirit and energy.
“Every game now we need to go back to basics and keep trying to pick up those wins, because it’s a tough league. When you see the results around you realise how tough it is. You take nothing for granted. This was tough. We had a bit of a problem and we solved it with the way we played in the second half.
“I’m pleased with that. The players need to be brave and confident. It’s a great sign of the squad when subs come on and make such a difference. Kovacic was outstanding when you’re talking about taking people out of the game, centrally, creating opportunities.
Being in the top four, he added: “It is nice, it sounds good. You get asked for your aims and we know we want to be challenging in the top four. From a slightly difficult start, it is a good sign that we are moving in the right direction, in all senses.
“All that must do is be an incentive for us. Football can change in an instant. Our arrival into the top four must only give us the hunger to stay there and move on.”