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Boehly, O’Neil, Badiashile: What Frank Lampard said ahead of Bournemouth vs Chelsea

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(Photo by Ben Stansall / AFP)

Frank Lampard addressed the media ahead of Chelsea’s Premier League clash against AFC Bournemouth.

Chelsea make the trip down to the south coast to face Gary O’Neil’s Cherries at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Goals from Kai Havertz and Mason Mount secured a 2-0 win for the Blues on December 27, the first game back from the World Cup break, in the reverse fixture and Chelsea will be keen to complete the league double this weekend.

However, Chelsea’s form suggests they will be in for a challenging afternoon. They have lost their last six matches in all competitions and are without a win since March 11.

Bournemouth are level on points with Chelsea and they can leapfrog Lampard‘s struggling side with all three points.

As Lampard looks to clinch his first win since returning on a caretaker basis, here is what the 44-year-old said ahead of the league clash in his pre-match press conference.


Team news

“No, we are all good. As we were.”

Players do care, nice to play against – addressed on training pitch this week?

“I’ve addressed it on the training pitch. To be clear – when I said the players care, I know they do because this is a… I’ve been a player and coach a long time, players all care, they’ve all got their reasons to care. The reality is the action that comes from that. Sometimes there can be many reasons why: underperformance, not so great results. That’s not something that is a training pitch issue. That’s working with the players as a group and individually. Since Arsenal, it’s been recovery and small prep this morning to play. There is not the turnaround and chance to deal with these issues which are more fundamental issues I guess.”

Todd Boehly’s comments of owners will fix things

“I think it’s a good thing. To speak so positively is what I’ve found since I’ve been here. Good intentions of where the club is going to be taken. That’s good. From my point of view, I don’t know, I’m here in this period, I’m working with with the squad to try get some form of turnaround in feeling, performance and then results. Other than that, it’s on the owners of the club to take those bigger decisions.”

Manager update

“(I’ve been told) nothing.”

What needs to improve

“It’s not for me to talk about now. I’m here until the end of the season. I don’t think my vision now at this point, (it) isn’t not worthy, it’s not for me to answer at this point.”

Benoit Badiashile

“Very close (to playing). He couldn’t play in the Champions League for me. He played against Brighton, which is a difficult match for everybody. Of course, he’s close. He’s in competition with Thiago, Wesley and Trevoh in that area. He’s training well. He’s come here, a lot of players have come from a different league at a youngish age into the Premier League. I think it’s understandable to have moments of maybe game time, maybe moments of a not, to a degree of a developing player, but more finding your feet in this league.”

Gary O’Neil’s job at Bournemouth

“A great job, full credit to him. I don’t know any of the details behind the scenes. He’s done a lot of good work there. He’s created a team with high energy, high quality, feeling of togetherness at the club. Considering where he came in, he’s done a good job and getting the credit he rightfully deserves.”

Dominic Solanke

“I remember training with Solanke, he was a young man coming into train with the first-team so was in and out. Clearly a high talent, I know that because of my links with the academy. The coaches speak in high regard of him. Different players take different routes, he’s taken his route, it’s good to see him performing. He’s still young. He’s a big threat and a very good player. I’m pleased on an individual note because he has origins here in the club. What might seem a difficult past, he’s performing really well.”

“That’s exactly what he is (all-round striker). He’s showing it. That’s what you want in a modern day number nine. Of course you have to get goals and assists, but of Dominic’s big things is his work ethic on and off the ball. If you want to press from the front, you need people to put in that energy and effort. He’s been well trained in this academy to be fair but individually full credit to him.”

Where do you get the hunger to manage when things are going great, doesn’t look like much fun from the outside?

“You should probably go and ask every other manager that same question. It’s what we do. I’m fortunate with the family and the career behind me, I’m 44 years of age, I’m working like you’re working. Is your job a delight every day (laughs)?”

How much are you hurting about the current situation?

“I’m not hurting. I don’t know why it might be me, I’ve been part of this club through big success. Any sport can give you moments of adversity. We are Chelsea, we have been pretty fortunate for 20 years. When the spotlight is on you, it’s on you. You have to understand and handle that because every other team will have their moments of this period. Even as a fanbase, you can be frustrated, you can want more, but you can be very understanding of what’s been in the last 20 years at Chelsea Football Club.

“It’s not one, for me personally, to sit on and feel hurt by too much. It’s more ‘what’s the action that’s going to get us out of this?’. The action now is not going to get us into the Champions League, it’s not going to get us maybe in the top eight. Who knows what it might get. It’s the first small step. Not all fans want to hear that, but it’s a reality. We have to work at to be back.”

Message to fans

“They will stick with the team. I don’t have to say much more than that. You see that at the end of the Arsenal game. All we can say in this period, myself and the players, we have to show an immense amount of pride. That’s the first step into future.”

Current results impacting his managing pedigree

“It comes with the territory. Everybody understands the difficulty of the situation I’ve come into. You have to accept that as a consequence of the job.”

Results and reality

“If you want to list our last four Premier League games, they’re not good. That is the full picture. That’s a reality. Our league position is a reality, our points is a reality, our goals scored is a reality of the season. We’ve had three, four managers through the season, there is a reality of the club where we are at.”

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