ZOUMA:NO FEAR
Chelsea v Lille Champions League Group H, 8pm
KURT ZOUMA says Frank Lampard wants his Chelsea side to take even more risks – if they are to get out of the temporary rut they find themselves in.
It was the no-fear football of his young charges that got the Blues off to a flying start this season.
And Lampard wants his side to return to that against Lille in the Champions League tonight, with three points all that will guarantee them a place in the knockout stages.
After a run of one win in their last five games, defender Zouma said: “He just wants us to be more responsible in the games, take more risks maybe.
“That’s the message. We are a young team, but he wants us to help the young guys. He wants us to play like we play in training – to take risks.
“Playing with no fear – go into the games and give everything.
“He hates a defeat. He is the kind of manager who, when you don’t do very well, comes to us and tells us our mistakes, and tells us to do it better.
“He is very calm and he understands the game because he has been in it a long, long, long time. He just wants to give us advice and help us.”
Lampard admitted he was left disappointed by the manner of Saturday’s 3-1 defeat against managerless Everton.
“It wasn’t that we were off it, but I didn’t like that there were individual contact moments throughout the game that we lost,” he said. “But you do learn about your players in tough times, on the pitch and their personality.”
Victory over Lille would guarantee safe passage to the knockout stages and Lampard admits the pressure is on after a rocky start in the competition.
“The idea we can get through to the next stage makes it a big game,” he said. “It’s a knockout game as such, so yes there is pressure.
These games are crucial for the players because I think you can be defined as an individual and as a group by success and what success looks like.
“And this means going into the next stage of the Champions League, which is a place we want to be in and a platform for the players to play on.
“I like the pressure of this game being a knockout and we are all talking about it. If we’re going to do anything good here, then we are going to need lots of these nights.”
Chelsea are boosted by the return of Antonio Rudiger, who underwent a knee operation in April, then had to abort his comeback attempt early against Wolves in September after damaging his groin.
He would partner Zouma (with Lampard, left) at the heart of the defence, and the Frenchman added: “The most important thing is the reaction. You need to keep your confidence, you need to trust yourself, and move on to the next game.”