Premier League side Chelsea, on Monday, sacked club icon and manager Frank Lampard after 18 months in charge of the club.

Lampard, who took charge of Chelsea in a three-year contract in July 2019, leaves the team with just eight wins in 19 Premier League games as Chelsea sit ninth in the Premier League table. His final game in charge was Chelsea's 3-1 win over Luton Town in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

The 42-year-old former midfielder initially did a great job in his first season as he guided the Blues to a fourth-place finish in the league, but after spending more than £200m in the summer, Chelsea currently sit 11 points behind leaders Manchester United. Since their 2-0 defeat to Liverpool early in the season, Lampard took Chelsea on a 17-game unbeaten run, but back-to-back defeats to Everton, Wolves, followed by Arsenal, Manchester City and Leicester eventually turned out to be the final roll of the dice.

"We are grateful to Frank for what he has achieved in his time as Head Coach of the Club. However, recent results and performances have not met the Club’s expectations, leaving the Club mid-table without any clear path to sustained improvement," read a statement from Chelsea.

"There can never be a good time to part ways with a club legend such as Frank, but after lengthy deliberation and consideration it was decided a change is needed now to give the Club time to improve performances and results this season."

Lampard did not sign any player in his first season with the club, but spent £45m on Ben Chilwell, £47.6m on Timo Werner and a whopping £71m on Kai Havertz as Chelsea took their budget over £200m, eclipsing their previous record of £186m they spent ahead of the 2017-18 season.

The former midfielder leaves the club with a win percentage of 52.4, but his points-per-game average remains 1.67; the lowest amongst any permanent Chelsea manager. 

Thomas Tuchel to take over

Reports have suggested that Chelsea have already lined-up a replacement in former Borussia Dortmund and PSG boss Thomas Tuchel. The club is expected to make an announcement soon after having informed the players over text messages. They were told not to come to their planned training session at Cobham on Monday.

It is said that Chelsea had first checked the availability of RB Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann before striking a deal with Tuchel, who was sacked by Paris Saint-Germain in December 2020. The club also approached Ralf Rangnick to take up the position on a temporary basis, but the former Leipzig boss ruled himself out of contention. As per ESPN, Tuchel took the opinion of another Premier League club last weekend to know more about Chelsea's blueprint before signing a deal. 

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Clive Rose

“When you are favourites, you know why you are favourites.�?/span>

Before they take the field on Sunday, Jose Mourinho was in the press conference room, playing mind games ahead of the biggest London Derby of the season so far, as the resurgent Tottenham Hotspur travel south to take on the Portuguese's former side Chelsea, spearheaded by the player that was part of the core that he led to successive Premier League titles �?Frank Lampard. 

Mourinho was quick to point out Chelsea’s eye-watering summer spending that saw them add seven players to the team, however, Spurs weren’t too far behind in the recruiting department, adding five players to the side that finished sixth in the Premier League last season.

Both teams have enjoyed a stunning start to their league campaigns. Tottenham are currently second, just a point behind league-leaders and reigning champions Liverpool with a game in hand, while Chelsea trail their London rivals by two points and sit in third. 

This game represents more than just three points. Chelsea versus Tottenham has produced some intensely heated game in the past five seasons and add the Mourinho connection to the equation and it’s bound to be fireworks. 

For Mourinho, this game is a chance to set the record straight against Lampard. In two matches against the manager he once coached, Mourinho is winless. The first meeting between the two happened in the League Cup when the Portuguese manager was still at Manchester United and Lampard in his rookie year as a head coach at Derby County. 

Lampard and Derby knocked Mourinho and United out of the competition on penalties and just a month later, Mourinho was out of the job at Old Trafford, replaced by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Lampard led Derby all the way to the playoff finals, where they were beaten by Aston Villa. 

Lampard, though, was soon hired by Chelsea and later in the year, Mourinho was appointed the Spurs boss after Mauricio Pochettino was sacked unceremoniously. The two have only met once so far in the Premier League, with Chelsea and Lampard coming out on top with a 2-1 win courtesy of goals from Olivier Giroud and Marcos Alonso.

However, this is a different Spurs team. A team that believes that they can go all the way this season. Mourinho and Spurs have already scored huge wins over Manchester United and Manchester City in the Premier League with Harry Kane and Heung Min-Son leading the way for the North Londoners. 

Chelsea, too, have title aspirations after their summer splurge and continue to keep pace with those at the top. However, a victory for Spurs could see them open a five-point gap on Chelsea and while it’s still early to call that an insurmountable lead, the psychological effect of a defeat could be devastating for a young Chelsea side. 

Mourinho has launched his mind games and deflected the pressure off his team to score a victory on Sunday onto Chelsea. However, there is absolutely no doubt that the Portuguese manager believes this is his chance to settle his score against his former apprentice.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Ian Kington

Eight games into the 2020-21 season and the pressure already seems to be mounting on Chelsea boss Frank Lampard.

It’s safe to say that three wins, three draws and two defeats �?one via penalty shootout �?to start the season wasn’t what Chelsea’s board had envisioned when they splurged £220m in recruits in the summer transfer market.

Granted that not all his new players have had the opportunity to play together from the start of the campaign and it’s still early days to pass judgement on the summer acquisitions. But to absolve the manager of all responsibility for Chelsea’s uncertain start doesn’t sit right either. 

He indeed did get the opportunity to field all his summer signings in Chelsea’s 0-0 draw against Sevilla in the UEFA Champions League but their collective presence on the pitch didn’t really have that many signs of encouragement.

Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, Ben Chilwell, Thiago Silva and Edouard Mendy were all on the pitch in the second half against Sevilla. Their presence on the pitch, though, did little to suggest that they could have a transformative effect on the side even though keeping a clean sheet was a welcome positive.

While it’s only fair to grant Chelsea’s sextet time to acclimatise to life in west London, surely Lampard must know that both performances and results must improve soon before his goodwill with the fans and board dissipates.

Chelsea barely qualified for the Champions League last season as their woeful defence struggled to keep things tight at the back. The lack of spending due to a transfer ban was pointed at as an issue for their defensive frailties.

The hope was that once Lampard had the opportunity to strengthen his squad over the summer, Chelsea’s solidity at the back would improve. Quality additions like Silva and Chilwell only added fuel to that notion but the proof is in the pudding and the west London club’s backline is still as porous as it was last season.

They’ve already conceded nine times in five league matches so far, including three goals each against Southampton and West Bromwich Albion. That’s not to say that Silva and Chilwell are bad additions. If anything, their presence in the backline has brought a sense of calm and assurance at the back.

Lampard, though, must do better both offensively and defensively to justify not just Chelsea’s summer spending spree, but also his credentials of being the right man to take the club forward.

Unlike last season, Lampard no longer has the excuse of not being backed in the transfer market to fall back on and his status as a Chelsea legend can’t keep him in the job for too long if results don’t improve soon.

Chelsea’s owner Roman Abramovich has a notorious reputation of sacking underperforming managers with alarming regularity ever since he bought the club. He’s sacked 13 managers since taking over the club in the summer of 2003, with Jose Mourinho and Guus Hiddink both having two spells. And while Lampard’s history with the club makes him slightly different from others, he will do well to remind himself of Chelsea’s Champions League-winning season, which he was a part of.

After sacking several managers in pursuit of European glory, former Chelsea midfielder Roberto Di Matteo was put in charge of the club on an interim basis before landing the full-time job after guiding the Blues to their first and only UEFA Champions League success.

The Champions League was the object that Abramovich desired most and yet despite winning it under the tutelage of Di Matteo in 2012, it counted for little when results went pear-shaped, resulting in the dismissal of the man who led Chelsea to the holy grail of European football.

Lampard hasn’t even won anything with Chelsea yet but enjoys a lot of adulation and respect from everyone at the club for he is their record goal-scorer after all. 

However, that status of his can only take him so far because if he doesn’t start to justify Chelsea’s summer spending soon, he risks the infamous axe from Abramovich, who has already demonstrated his ability to separate emotion from pragmaticism while making such decisions.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Toby Melville

After a fourth-place finish and FA Cup final heartbreak, Chelsea have been busy in the transfer market, gearing up for next season. The most improved squad going by just incomings, Frank Lampard will be hoping for some tangible success in the 2020-21 season.

Despite securing the services of playmaker Hakim Ziyech and forward Timo Werner before the end of the last league season, the west Londoners have kept their foot on the pedal in the transfer window that began following the conclusion of the 2019-20 Premier League campaign.

The addition of German wonderkid Kai Havertz has further sharpened their attack, making them a force to be reckoned with while going forward. In fact, it can be argued that the quartet of Werner, Havertz, Ziyech and Christian Pulisic is one of the best in the league as far as front foot, attacking football is concerned.

However, scoring goals wasn’t exactly an issue for much of last season. The problems for the Blues lay at the other end, in defence. Their defensive acquisitions of Ben Chilwell and Thiago Silva will certainly shore things up at the back but is by no means a guarantee for success.

That said, one can at the very least expect better displays from Chelsea’s defence than we saw last season when they conceded 54 goals in the league �?more than any other side in the top half of the Premier League.

The league, though, may be slightly beyond their reach as Chelsea’s new signings adjust to the blood and thunder nature of football in the Premier League. Having said that, it’s worth mentioning that Chelsea, at the moment, look like the team most likely to challenge Liverpool and Manchester City for the English crown.

Only time will tell whether or not they can manage to maintain performance levels over the course of the new season with their new signings and a relatively inexperienced manager in club hero Frank Lampard at the helm.

The league aside, what the Blues can aim for is success in the cup competitions, and while domestic cup wins will be a good start, Lampard and his boys will know that they have enough quality in their squad to go all the way in Europe.

History has shown us that the league winners don’t always necessarily win the Champions League. Chelsea themselves weren’t the champions of England when they won their only Champions League title in 2012 and Lampard would do well to remind his current squad about that.

With a plethora of exciting talent to choose from, Chelsea are expected to qualify from their group, and if their attacking players can find form in Europe, them going the distance in the Champions League doesn’t sound that farfetched.

If anything, Lampard will want to remind his players that his current squad, in terms of individual quality, is far better than the 2012 Champions League winning squad, which he was a part of. If they can drill their defence to be organised when on the back foot, finding a weakness in the Blues becomes a difficult task.

Getting organised at the back is easier said than done, though, and perhaps this is where Lampard’s test lies. Unlike the previous season, when the Blues served a transfer ban, the Chelsea legend will be judged differently in the upcoming campaign, having brought in several players to strengthen his squad.

His most important task for the new season will be sorting out his defence before anything else. If Chelsea have a solid platform to build on, there’s no telling what they can achieve. And while sustaining performance levels and ensuring quality drop-offs do not happen in the league may prove to be difficult with several players still acclimatising to life in England, there’s no reason why Chelsea cannot blow away the competition in Europe with their several attacking options.

Lampard will know that the knockout nature of the Champions League may help his front-heavy side and it will be interesting to see if he can instil a similar team spirit in the current Chelsea squad like the class of 2012 shared.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Daniel Leal-Olivas

2019-20 finish: 4th (20W-6D-12L, 66 points)

Head coach: Frank Lampard

2019-20 PL top scorer: Tammy Abraham (15 PL goals)

Other Trophies: None (Reached FA Cup Final)

It isn't easy to handle a young squad but what Frank Lampard did with Chelsea in his debut season last time around is really commendable. A fourth-place finish in the Premier League and reaching the final of the FA Cup competition are the highlights of Lampard's first season as Chelsea manager but everybody will have high expectations from him this season considering the heavy shopping he has done in the summer transfer window so far.

Lampard has spent over $250 million in acquiring the services of some of the world's best young talents -- Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz and Ben Chilwell -- and that hefty sum of money spent brings with it the pressure of winning trophies. Nobody will settle with a top-four finish or an exit in the final knockout phase of Cup competitions now. Chelsea has gone trophy-less for two back-to-back seasons now and there won't be any room for excuses if Lampard fails to win a silverware with a squad that looks so formidable on paper.

Issues they faced last season

Apart from Cesar Azpilicueta, all of the players who featured in the first team regularly for Chelsea last season are quite young. In fact, the likes of Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount were playing their first full season for Chelsea. While young legs do bring flair and energy to the team, they also bring a bit of inconsistency. That's why Chelsea faltered multiple times in crunch situations last season.

The defeat in the FA Cup final to Arsenal was one such example and they certainly didn't look like a match for Bayern Munich in the round-of-16 fixture of the Champions League. They lost quite a few games towards the closing stages of the Premier League as well and that pretty much sums up how they failed to hold their nerve in tense situations. The ability to handle such pressure in big games comes only with experience and they clearly didn't have that last time around.

Have the issues been resolved?

There is only one way to handle pressure and that is by learning to hold your nerve. With an experience of one complete season under their belt, the young Chelsea players are certainly better equipped to handle similar situations this time around. The arrival of Ziyech, Werner and Havertz will help as well. Even though they are also young, they have had plenty of experience playing in leagues like the Eredivisie and Bundesliga in the last few years.

Chelsea's attack looks primed to destroy their opposition this season. Werner and Havertz along with Christian Pulisic are going to give the defenders a hard time whereas Ziyech, along with Mason Mount, will form a formidable creative partnership in the midfield. Tammy Abraham is as good as a backup forward can be. He was their highest scorer in the Premier League last season but he will fall down in the pecking order now with the arrival of Werner and Havertz.

The defence has been bolstered as well with the transfer of Ben Chilwell from Leicester City and the acquisition of Thiago Silva and Malang Sarr on a free transfer. So Lampard has rounded off each department pretty well and the squad is quite strong on paper.

Prediction for 2020/21 season

Considering the kind of squad Lampard has assembled this season, Chelsea has a strong chance of competing closely with Liverpool and Manchester City for the Premier League title. The squad has immense depth and quality, and that's why they look primed for success in other major competitions like the Champions League as well. At least one silverware looks highly likely for the Blues this season, and anything on top of that will be a bonus.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Glyn Kirk

The Chelsea football club has left the summer transfer market abuzz with the deals they have made so far. Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, Malang Sarr, Thiago Silva and Kai Havertz are the players they have already penned down a deal with and they are not showing any signs of stopping yet.

Leicester City full-back Ben Chilwell and West Ham midfielder Declan Rice are expected to be Frank Lampard and Co.'s next targets in the transfer market. Having already spent £151m on Ziyech, Werner and Havertz, Chelsea's summer expenditure is expected to go up to £200m once they complete signing up Rice and Chilwell.

It might look like they are completely emptying their purse in order to get the players Lampard wants in his squad, but they are still in a comfortable position in terms of budget -- all thanks to the shrewd business tactics of the club director Marina Granovskaia.

Their success in the transfer market now can be attributed to Granovskaia's vision and long term planning. Last season, she managed to broker a stellar deal for a player like Eden Hazard, who had just one year left on his contract.

Initially, Chelsea were expected to get £88m up front, rising to £130m from Hazard's move to Real Madrid. But according to Voetball, the club is now going to get around £13m more than the expected amount. They got £36m in 2019, £50m in 2020 and should get another £57m next year. So it can be said that Hazard's sale alone made up for the sum Chelsea spent on getting Ziyech, Werner and Havertz.

That wasn't Granovskaia's only masterstroke, though. The fact that she managed to get a combined sum of around £175m by selling three players -- Alvaro Morata, David Luiz and Oscar -- who flopped with their performances for the club, shows how good her business acumen is.

Love the way Chelsea & especially Marina Granovskaia has handled our transfer business this summer. No messing around, no overpaying transfer fees, just straight to the point. Unlike a few clubs I know who seem to be doing the opposite.

�?Frank Khalid (@FrankKhalidUK) September 7, 2020

So the Lampard juggernaut might not stop even after acquiring the services of Chilwell and Rice. Granovskaia has ensured that Chelsea have enough to build a young and formidable squad.

Apart from Silva, all of the players they have signed so far are young and have been some of the best players in world football in recent years. That makes it clear that Lampard is building the side with a long-term vision and not for immediate success.

In Timo Werner, they have a proven goal-scoring machine to slot in along with the likes of Christian Pulisic and Tammy Abraham up front. Hakim Ziyech will be the main creative force in Chelsea's midfield now, a chief creator of chances is what Chelsea lacked in their midfield in recent years. Kai Havertz provides flexibility to the side as he can play both as a midfielder and a forward. He is one of the brightest young talents in the world at the moment.

As far as the future signing of Ben Chilwell and Declan Rice is considered, the left-back and central midfield positions came out as two areas of concern for Lampard in the last season. Most teams prefer pacey full-backs in modern-day football and Chilwell fits that bill perfectly. N'Golo Kante's form and fitness have been a concern whereas Jorginho is expected to make a move to Juventus this summer as well. So, Lampard's interest in a 21-year-old Rice, who plays in a holding midfield position and is a long-term prospect as well, is understandable.

Considering all these players Lampard has managed to rope in so far, Chelsea are already looking like a force to reckon with on paper. They finished fourth in the Premier League last season and missed out on major Cup titles like the Europa League even after going into the knockout stages.

The ammunition that Chelsea now have in their arsenal make them prime contenders to be one of the top sides across all competitions in the forthcoming season. If everything goes according to Lampard's plans, the Blues could even become world-beaters for the next decade or so.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Adrian Dennis

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author's and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SportsAdda.

When Frank Lampard was recently asked for his own assessment of his first season as Chelsea manager, the Blues legend wasn’t far off the mark, saying, "My first season back at Chelsea in management has been an unexpected, crazy season for many reasons.�?/p>

Lampard’s first season as the manager of the club that he is the top-scorer of was always going to be tricky. With question marks surrounding his credentials to take on a job of such a stature following his debut season in management with Derby County in the Championship, Lampard knew what he was getting into.

And his start to life in the Blues�?dugout wasn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination. After a loss in the UEFA Super Cup against Liverpool, Lampard’s team went on to lose their opening game of the Premier League season against Manchester United 0-4.

Faith in youth

The former England midfielder, though, opted to keep faith with his team selection that featured several youngsters from the club’s youth academy. While his decision to blood such youngsters were partly due to the transfer ban that was slapped on the west Londoners, Lampard’s belief in youth was evident during his time at Derby.

Under him, players such as Billy Gilmour, Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham �?Chelsea academy graduates �?enjoyed plenty of game time and the latter two became first-team regulars before too long. His belief in such players began to bring dividends as Chelsea soon strung together a decent run of results while playing attractive football.

As a result, positivity grew around the club, with Chelsea in the top four and looking good to push on. Some pundits, who predicted his inexperience and lack of activity in the transfer market would make life difficult for him, were beginning to sing from a different hymn sheet as a free-flowing Chelsea side, brimming with youth and excitement wreaked havoc on opposition defences when on the front foot.

However, it was at the back that Chelsea themselves struggled. While creating chances and scoring wasn’t much of an issue for the west London club, keeping clean sheets became increasingly difficult for them as the season progressed.

In any other season, a defence as fragile as theirs may not have even finished in the top four but the fact that the rest of the sides around them had their own problems to address made a Champions League finish possible for them.

Woes in defence

By the time the second half of the league was underway, Chelsea’s defensive problems were well known by the rest of the teams, and with Lampard struggling to find solutions for their backline, opposition units had begun working out how to best exploit them at the back.

Their inability to keep things tight at the back saw them constantly on the brink of dropping out of the Champions League places only for the teams below them to also slip up. This recurrance continued for Lampard and his Blues till the end of the season.

The fact that they didn’t have the most reliable goalkeeper in between the posts only served to make matters worse as Kepa Arrizabalaga found himself under a lot of pressure while being shuffled in and out of the team.

The lack of stability in goal and at the back is perhaps why they conceded more goals (54) than any other side in the top half of the Premier League table last season. It’s also worth mentioning that they were humbled by Bayern Munich in Europe’s top club competition and lost 12 matches in the league, which isn’t something you would expect from a Champions League team.

They also blew their only chance of silverware when they lost the FA Cup final against Arsenal, prompting some of the questions surrounding him at the start of the campaign to return. Is Lampard good enough to be Chelsea manager? Is he experienced enough for such a job?

Champions League spot finish despite transfer ban

Comparisons between the previous season and the recently concluded one didn’t help his cause either. The Blues�?former manager Maurizio Sarri had led them to a third-place finish and the Europa League title in the 2018-19 season. Lampard, by comparison, had fared worse than Sarri in terms of points, league position and trophies.

Having said that, what must not be forgotten is Sarri had a transfer window to add players to his team as well as the talismanic presence of Eden Hazard. In stark contrast, Lampard could only add youth team graduates and players that were away on loan from his team while also having to cope with the departure of their best player in Hazard.

All things considered, it wouldn’t be a bad shout to say that Lampard has somewhat exceeded expectations in his first season as Blues boss, especially when taking into account that most experts didn’t give his side a chance to finish in the top four at the start of the campaign.

While the scope for improvement, especially in defence, cannot be argued, Lampard can be proud of what he achieved in his first season of management in top-flight football. “I think the challenges I knew coming into this job at the start of the year, of the transfer ban and the transition we felt we were in,�?he was quoted saying recently.

"To achieve Champions League football for next season gave me lots of positive feeling to how we can go forward from here. There were some tough moments along the way, which I certainly took on board and have learnt a lot about the squad and where we want to get to. But I think the real feeling is a positive one, now I'm back managing the club I love and I just want to take us forward," he added.

With all that in mind, Lampard will know that moving forward with Chelsea will be his only option in the season ahead. The addition of exciting talents like Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech after their transfer ban was lifted, plus the experience of a full year of Premier League management puts him in a stronger position than he was at the start of the last season.

That said, he will also be aware of the need for more positive results, the tightening of his defence and rectifying errors of the past since another season similar to his first is unlikely to be accepted by the board, making it imperative for him to apply his lessons from the last season and show some progress in the upcoming campaign.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Andy Rain

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author's and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SportsAdda.

Frank Lampard’s Chelsea have made significant headways in the transfer market, bolstering their squad with some consequential additions like Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner. But with the latter’s arrival, a certain Tammy Abraham’s part in Lampard’s adolescent wave has come under heavy scrutiny.

The 22-year-old striker, who impressed one and all while on loan at Aston Villa in 2018/19 Championship season, made an exhilarating start to the recently concluded Premier League season. Seven goals in his opening five league games paved way for Chelsea to finally have answers to their number nine woes, and the streak continued right until Chelsea’s 3-0 home win against Burnley in early January where Abraham notched his 13th goal of the league.

A slump in form since coupled with Olivier Giroud stepping up on given opportunities have now seen Abraham making a handful of cameo appearances since football has resumed. He has, in fact, played full 90 minutes on just two occasions, with one of them coming in an FA Cup encounter against Leicester City. As far as goals are concerned, he has notched just two goals since scoring against Burnley, and Lampard has heavily favoured Giroud in getting goals.

The Frenchman, since the Premier League’s project restart, has been breathtaking, to say the least, scoring seven goals in 10 appearances in all competitions. 

Giroud deserves so much for the credit for the season he is having now.

He was so close to leaving in January after being left as third choice, he stayed, worked hard to get back into the team and is now reaping the rewards.

Elite mentality, a top role model for Tammy Abraham. pic.twitter.com/Tb7Lk4Oxuv

�?FutbolChelsea (@FutbolCheIsea) July 20, 2020

Abraham’s plunge has indeed been catastrophic, but he has time and again been criticised for lacking the clinical edge especially against the team from the top half of the table. Except for his goal against Arsenal in December last year, he has failed to score or even provide an assist against the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and even Tottenham. 

The issues are deeper as far as Abraham is concerned. While his attitude since being dropped from the starting XI has been questioned, his contractual situation remains another worry. He did extend his stay earlier this month, but that was merely a year’s extension to the deal he signed in 2017. The striker hasn’t been given a pay rise, and this is where things might go south.

At 22, the young forward would want to be a part of the first team for as much as he could, but Werner’s arrival is expected to shake things up a bit. But as things stand for Abraham, he still has Olivier Giroud to contend with, let alone fight the newly arrived German international for the first-team spot.

Is Abraham on the verge of becoming another Michy Batshuayi for Chelsea? While another tenure on loan is looking highly unlikely, a greater possibility is that Lampard would majorly use him either as an impact sub against the teams who sit deep and defend, or for the cup games to give Werner a rest. 

Or if Lampard is to tweak his tactic a bit, he can try linking both of his attackers (Abraham and Werner) in an old-school 4-4-2 approach, which is certainly not new to the German, having already played alongside Yussuf Poulsen at RB Leipzig.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Glyn Kirk

Frank Lampard has called on the Premier League to give Chelsea a fair start to next season, saying the September 12 launch date is "too early" for his players.

The Blues lost Saturday's FA Cup final 2-1 to London rivals Arsenal but are still not finished with the current campaign.

Lampard's side take on Bayern Munich on Saturday in the rescheduled second leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie, trailing 3-0 from the first leg.

Even if they exit the competition, Chelsea will have just 35 days before the new season is due to begin. 

Manchester City are also still in the Champions League, the final of which is scheduled for August 23, while Manchester United and Wolves are involved in the Europa League, which ends on August 21.

• 'We were complacent': Lampard fumes after Chelsea's FA Cup loss

It is understood that when Premier League clubs agreed a September 12 start date, it was also clear there would need to be at least a 30-day break for Chelsea and any of the other teams playing in the end-of-season European competitions.

Lampard lost Willian and Ruben Loftus-Cheek on the eve of the FA Cup final to injury and Cesar Azpilicueta and goalscorer Christian Pulisic during the game to hamstring problems.

"Even in a worst-case scenario, we don't go through against Bayern, the 12th feels too early for me for the players to start playing again," said the Chelsea boss.

"The players need a break. That is why we have pulled two hamstrings and had players pull out of the game before this."

Lampard implored the Premier League to make sure clubs start the next season with a level playing field.

"I would like to think the Premier League would look seriously at that," he said.

"Hopefully they give us a fair start next season. We deserve to be (given a fair start) as a Premier League club competing in the Champions League."

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Laurence Griffiths

Frank Lampard accused his Chelsea flops of complacency after they blew the lead in Saturday's FA Cup final defeat against Arsenal.

Lampard's side made the perfect start at Wembley as Christian Pulisic fired them ahead.

But Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang equalised from the penalty spot before half-time and made it 2-1 with a fine finish after the interval.

"We started well for 10 or 15 minutes, scored a goal and had other chances. From that point, we can only blame ourselves in football terms," Chelsea boss Lampard told the BBC.

"We decided to take control as in being complacent, let's try and play short passes like it is a bit of a stroll. A final can never be a stroll and we allowed them back into the game."

• Read | Three things we learned from the FA Cup final

Lampard had tried to get his players to refocus, but he conceded Chelsea have been hampered by a lack of cutting edge and defensive mistakes all season.

They weren't helped by the extremely harsh second half dismissal of midfielder Mateo Kovacic and injuries to Pulisic and Cesar Azpilicueta.

Denied his first trophy as Chelsea boss, Lampard couldn't hide his frustration.

"All I can do form the sidelines is shout. There are elements in our game that we have worked hard on all year, but that is in you as a group," he said.

6 - Mateo Kovacic is the sixth player to be sent off in an FA Cup final, with each of the last two being Chelsea players (also Victor Moses v Arsenal in 2017). Orders. #FACupFinal #ARSCHE pic.twitter.com/5ByYri9ame

�?OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 1, 2020

"We were slow, we played back on ourselves, invited pressure, then didn't really know where to go from that. We didn't play well enough to win a final.

"It doesn't help to have two hamstrings (Azpilicueta and Pulisic) and a dislocated shoulder (Pedro), then Willian got injured yesterday and had to pull out."

Despite their Cup final misery, Chelsea had already achieved their main aim by qualifying for next season's Champions League via a fourth place finish in the Premier League.

Lampard's season isn't over as Chelsea travel to Bayern Munich on August 8 for the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie.

But the Blues trail 3-0 from the first leg and Lampard did not want to think about that daunting task just yet.

"I'm not even thinking about next week. It's the end of a long, long season and it was the tipping point for us," he said.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Adam Davy