Frank Lampard torn apart for ‘disastrous’ Chelsea problem against Brighton as Blues tipped to endure horrific winless run
Former Chelsea and Everton boss Frank Lampard
Several pundits have blasted Chelsea for their poor performance against Brighton on Saturday, with interim manager Frank Lampard also receiving criticism.
Chelsea lost their first two games after Lampard was appointed as caretaker boss, with Wolves beating them 1-0 at Molineux and Real Madrid picking up a 2-0 victory in Spain. The Blues will have been hoping to get back to winning ways by overcoming Brighton at Stamford Bridge.
However, Lampard’s men were simply played off the park by Brighton, who could have scored three or even four goals. The likes of Kaoru Mitoma, Julio Enciso and Moises Caicedo all shone as the Seagulls emerged 2-1 winners.
The result means Chelsea have lost all three games since Lampard returned to the Stamford Bridge dugout. And it could get even worse for the club as they have matches against Real, Brentford and Arsenal coming up.
Former Chelsea striker Tony Cascarino has questioned Lampard’s ability as a manager. He believes the 44-year-old should have substituted full-backs Trevoh Chalobah and Ben Chilwell, even going as far as labelling those positions a ‘disaster’.
“I would say they are a worse team than Graham Potter’s team at the moment from what I’ve seen in the three games,” Cascarino said on talkSPORT.
“So they have even gone backwards from what happened at the end from Graham Potter.
“This isn’t really having a go at Frank, I understand that he has problems at the club and the club is in a right mess.
Frank Lampard not at level of top coaches
“He is a club legend because of his achievements on the football pitch as a player. But my biggest issue is… you know how [Jose] Mourinho would do something and make you think?
“I remember going to games under Mourinho and thinking ‘[I] didn’t see that, what a clever move by him’.
“You saw a manager at his best and his ability, and many, many other coaches I’ve seen do that. I don’t come away with that with Frank.
“I don’t think, ‘you know what, he got that spot on. He made subs at the right time, good decision on the full-backs’, the two wing-backs against Brighton were a disaster.”
Fellow talkSPORT pundits Gabby Agbonlahor and Jamie O’Hara have also hit out at Chelsea. The duo even suggested Chelsea will not win any of their remaining seven games in the league, which could see them drop to as low as 14th in the table.
“We were watching Brighton and we were thinking, who are the home team?” Agbonlahor asked.
“Brighton had 25 shots today! 26 shots for an away team at Stamford Bridge is unacceptable.
“I couldn’t name one player that would have got over a 3/10 today. If Lampard can’t get these players motivated, who can?”
Pundit makes worrying Blues prediction
O’Hara added: “I don’t know if Chelsea will win another game this season, I don’t think they’re going to win another game.”
“I don’t think they will either,” Agbonlahor replied.
Chelsea fans will certainly be wishing the season to be over. After chairman Todd Boehly spent over £600m, they will not have predicted the campaign going this poorly.
It does not look like Chelsea will qualify for any European competition for next season. This is obviously a big setback, although it may work in their favour.
It would give their next manager, who might be Julian Nagelsmann, the chance to solely focus on getting the team back into the top four.
