Frank Lampard: Chelsea is too ‘nice’ to play against

Chelsea caretaker manager Frank Lampard has bemoaned his side’s performance following another defeat which makes it six in six since the former Chelsea midfielder took over.

According to the Chelsea legend, his side has become too nice to play against. Lampard was speaking to Sky Sports after the Blues crumbled under the weight of their London rivals Arsenal in a 3-1 defeat.

“Defensively the line wasn’t coming up, which was giving them space. In possession, we weren’t playing over their press. All the things that make you a nice team to play against, we did.”

He added that the second half saw some improvements but Chelsea was already blown off by then to mount any serious comeback. “The second half was better but the result’s relatively confirmed by then.

While suggestions of low confidence have been branded, Lampard thinks it should not be the case when you are playing for Chelsea, a club known for winning titles.

“I don’t want to say the low-on-confidence thing too much because when you’re playing for Chelsea there’s a level of performance. You can still be low on confidence but show a dynamic side to your game.

He pointed out that despite their rivals’ quality, Chelsea failed to exert any pressure on them to at least force them to be uncomfortable in the game. “They have good players but you can make them feel hurried – we didn’t.”

Lampard, however, believes the team needs to work hard regardless of whatever reason that is causing their slump in form.

“Maybe it doesn’t even matter what the core reason is because the only thing that will get you out of it is working hard.

“At the minute we’re a little bit conditioned in a way that makes us pretty nice to play against. That’s what a Chelsea team hasn’t been in recent years and that’s what needs to change.”

The defeat to Arsenal is Chelsea’s sixth since Lampard took over from Graham Potter and the club is just nine points away from the relegation zone.