Lampard: Passion and desire will help Chelsea turn tide, not tactics
Frank Lampard was in the mood for a scrap yesterday and it is a desire to fight, rather than formations or tactics, that he believes will ultimately decide whether Chelsea pull themselves out of their slump and relieve the pressure on his shoulders.
The Chelsea head coach rounded on one journalist, accusing him of “confirmation bias” in his analysis of where he felt Lampard had been getting it wrong. In Lampard’s view, short-term fixes would be found in hard work and determination, rather than on a tactics chalkboard.
And Lampard will not be calling up any of his old managers or former team-mates to help fight his corner, as the 42-year-old insists on defending himself in what constitutes the biggest battle of his coaching career so far.
Chelsea face a crucial three-game spell, starting against Luton in the FA Cup tomorrow and followed by successive home Premier League games against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley.
Come through them unscathed and Lampard will undoubtedly live to fight another day, but he also knows that any heavy blow could prove fatal, following five defeats in eight Premier League games.
“Fight is an important word in football, so there’s no doubt we have to put some things to one side now,” Lampard said. “It’s not going to be 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 that will win us the
games we need to win in the short term, it’ll be the passion, desire and togetherness of the team.”
Striker Olivier Giroud is available for the Luton game after missing the defeat by Leicester City, but N’golo Kante is still out. Amid the criticism he has faced, Lampard retains the support of a large section of fans, some of whom paid for a banner backing him.
“I’m a fighter first and foremost,” Lampard said. “It’s how I managed to make a career out of the game as a player. When I packed up, I could have easily stayed in the media or come out of football altogether. I got back in with a desire to be successful. I didn’t have blinkers on.
“I love the job and I love the fact that if there are tough times you can fight your way out of them, and I mean the players as well, because we are not firing. It [fighting back] is the best feeling in football.”
Asked if he had called former managers such as Carlo Ancelotti or Jose Mourinho for advice, Lampard replied: “No, I don’t like to do that. I like to experience things myself.”