Lampard confident of Chelsea revival after dismal season

Chelsea, 12th in the standings with 43 points, plays fourth-placed Manchester United, which is bidding to secure a Champions League place, on Thursday.

Chelsea’s Raheem Sterling is greeted by Chelsea’s head coach Frank Lampard as he is substituted during the English Premier League match between Manchester City and Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, May 21, 2023. | Photo Credit: AP Photo/Jon Super

Frank Lampard is confident that Chelsea will come back stronger next season after a dismal campaign, the interim manager said on Wednesday ahead of its last two Premier League games.

Chelsea, 12th in the standings with 43 points, plays fourth-placed Manchester United, which is bidding to secure a Champions League place, on Thursday.

Chelsea, which won the Champions League in 2021, will end this season without silverware despite its new U.S. owners’ huge spending on new players.

“There is a lot to go over to get to the bottom of it. The club has to explore every factor and make sure it does not happen again,” Lampard told reporters.

“It could be a long process – from my experience, when you switch something off, it isn’t easy to switch on again.”

Lampard is optimistic, however, that Chelsea has the right structures in place.

“When you look at the good models around that have consistency in those areas and decision-making, and how the club moves forward, they’re generally more successful clubs,” Lampard said.

“Where we are at the minute, that will be the work process to try and see where are we aligned, where do we want to get to, and what does it look like.”

Lampard, who will step down from his role as temporary manager at the end of the campaign, urged his players to show fighting spirit against United.

“They (players) have to show there is something resting on this game in terms of their personal and collective approach,” Lampard said.

“We have to go with a very good mentality against a good team who are fighting for something we have had for many years - and now we don’t have it.”

Lampard said that forward Joao Felix would be back after missing the defeat at Manchester City, but French defender Benoit Badiashile will be out for “months rather than weeks”.

Chelsea forward Raheem Sterling, who is capped 82 times, was left out of England’s squad for next month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers.

“Raheem is a top-level player... I know sometimes these games at the end of the season are different challenges compared to individuals who have played a lot of games,” Lampard said.

“So, if there’s a mutual conversation between the two (Sterling and England coach Gareth Southgate) then I’m sure they will find the right outcome - best for England, best for Raheem.”