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“You have to understand” – Lampard explains why he’s not hurting as Chelsea fans told to accept reality check
Frank Lampard has delivered Chelsea a reality check of where they are currently positioned and the obstacles needed to be overcome to get back to the top, after explaining his reasoning for not being hurt at the club’s current state.
The 44-year-old was called upon by Chelsea’s owners to oversee the remainder of the season after a dismal campaign which has seen two managers – Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter – sacked.
As a result, Chelsea‘s form and performance have reflected the instability at the club and it has seen them slip to 12th in the Premier League. They are in danger of falling to 13th should they suffer a seventh straight defeat in all competitions when they visit the Vitality Stadium on Saturday to face AFC Bournemouth.
Chelsea have five games left before they are put out of their misery this season and head away for their postseason holidays before returning for pre-season at the end of June.
Prior to the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital ownership taking over in May 2022, Chelsea were used to success after success during the Roman Abramovich era. Now the focus has switched to the long-term and a lot of change in a short period of time has negatively affected them this season.
But Lampard accepts the realities and believes the previous success means he’s not hurting, and handed the reality check, even if it is hard to hear, to the fanbase who have expressed their frustrations through this season.
“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 to be back.”
He concluded: “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.”