MY ACCOUNT
Frank Lampard has refuted suggestions Chelsea are “broken” as they prepare for their Champions League quarter-final second leg against Real Madrid.
The Blues welcome the defending European champions to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday after suffering a 2-0 loss in the away fixture last week.
Chelsea head into that game on the back of another defeat, losing at home to Brighton and Hove Albion to extend their winless Premier League run to five matches.
Lampard’s side are 11th in the table – well below expectations, he acknowledged – but he does not believe they are beyond repair.
“We are not where we want to be, [but] I think the word ‘broken’ is a bit much,” he said. “The league position is reality, and we are 2-0 down in this game. We have to work against that.
“I’m big on personal responsibility as a player and as a group. I’m not blaming anyone else. We have to address things now and going forward. It is a big part of the game.
“You do a lot of work and delve into data, statistics and output of games. This is not a question of player commitment; my job is to find ways we can get better to compete at this level.”
Lampard was a player when Chelsea defied the odds with a remarkable run to Champions League glory under Roberto Di Matteo, another interim boss, in 2012.
But the idea of an upset against Madrid ranking alongside that triumph was swatted away by Lampard.
“I don’t think anything that happens tomorrow will be better than when we won the Champions League,” he said. “We had many difficult moments on that run.
“Considering the moment we are in and the team we are facing here, of course it would be special. I have no doubt it’ll be positive [to play at home].
“I’ve been here too many times on a Champions League night at Stamford Bridge not to understand that the atmosphere is going to be great. It is down to us to engage the crowd. They can help us.”
