Chelsea’s season has gone from bad to worse since Frank Lampard was put back in charge and really, it was a season that couldn’t get much worse already.
Three different managers have been in place at Chelsea so far this season and none of them have yet really been able to get a tune out of these players. Many fans have grown very frustrated with the players lack of effort and lack of belief, rightfully questioning their mentalities.
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But Frank Lampard believes that his players do not lack hunger, even though many of us will strongly disagree with that. Lampard believes that it is more a confidence issue rather than a lack of effort.
In recent words picked up by The Evening Standard, Lampard said: “I think maybe when some players are lacking confidence then it can be seen as a hunger thing.
“When you are a yard short, you are just a yard short. Or when you are receiving the ball and not confident, you take your first touch backwards.
“That can sometimes feel like a hunger or lack of passion thing but I don’t feel that. I feel like the players are hungry to be successful as Chelsea players.”
Personally I think it’s all interconnected. Lack of confidence is a mentality thing. Of course results haven’t helped, but some of these players lack strong personalities and that leads to a lack of fight.
With maybe the exception of Auba, I really don’t see an obvious lack of effort, and I’m inclined to accept Lampard’s diagnosis despite the fact that his fiddling with lineups and formations since he arrived is much to blame for exacerbating the already significant crisis of confidence within the squad. Let’s not forget that only a few weeks ago we advanced past a very good Dortmund side in the UCL, and that is not at all indicative of a squad that’s lost it’s fight.
Saturday’s performance was an utter mess in more ways than one, but, most of all, what we saw was a team on the field who either (a) had been given totally useless tactical instructions by the manager, or (b) had no idea how to implement his instructions (e.g., had not spent adequate time in training rehearsing how they wanted to play out against the Brighton press). Either way (and I actually think it was a bit of both a) and b)) it’s on the manager, and when he failed to make half-time adjustments it only served to underscore the fact that Frank Lampard is unfit to manage in the Premier League. In my mind, bringing him in is perhaps the single biggest (and most avoidable) own goal the new owners have committed. When he washed out at Everton his next job should have either been in the commentary booth or back in the Championship, but certain not at Chelsea.