Lampard: We should have extra 10 points
Frank Lampard said his Chelsea players had thrown away 10 points this season through a lack of clinical finishing.
Chelsea’s need for a striker was underlined during their draw with 10-man Arsenal, when Lampard’s side dominated but again failed to convert their superiority into a win.
Lampard is desperate to add more firepower this month and the Chelsea head coach will now be worrying about the fitness of top scorer Tammy Abraham after he limped down the tunnel at the end.
“We’re in fourth position, that’s seen as pretty good, but we know there should be another 10 points on the board at least based on performance,” said Lampard. “All of us need to look at those finer details.
“We know the story at home. Teams with 11 have defended like that against us and given us problems. Fair play to Arsenal, with 10, it’s understandable and I thought they defended their box well.
“But we have to look at ourselves and say that again it is a story of creating a lot but at this level, when those chances are coming, we need to take them more. I know that the expected goals – I don’t like too many stats on expected goals – but we are bottom of the league at home in taking them [chances] and we are second to Liverpool in creating them. So that is two ends of the scale that shows where we are at.”
Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal head coach, hailed the spirit of his players after their gritty response to losing David Luiz to a red card after a Shkodran Mustafi mistake had played his team into trouble.
Goals from 18-year-old forward Gabriel Martinelli and returning full-back Hector Bellerin pulled them back into the game, twice, after Chelsea had taken the lead.
“The spirit, character, fight and leadership was there,” said Arteta. “You have to stand up. When someone makes a mistake and someone has to take a red card for him, it can happen. We’re still a long way from many things we have to improve but, in terms of this spirit, this will give us the platform of everything we want to build together.”
Martinelli has now scored 10 goals in his first season in European football, including three in his past five Premier League starts.
“To play in this stadium the way he has, with 10 men and against Azpilicueta, one of the best defenders in the league, you need courage and energy,” said Arteta.