The Champions League will offer Frank Lampard’s Chelsea a chance to escape from “a place we don’t want to be” when they face Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on Wednesday.
Chelsea’s interim coach was referring to the team’s position in the bottom half of the Premier League table after they failed to score in any of their last three league outings, with the Champions League offering their only hope of salvaging a wretched season.
In the past Europe has offered respite during difficult domestic seasons, as happened in 2012 when the Blues – managed by interim boss Roberto Di Matteo – were crowned Champions League winners at the same time as finishing sixth in the league.
Di Matteo, who spent five seasons as a player at Chelsea, took over from Andre Villas-Boas when the Portuguese coach was sacked in February, and led the team to a stunning with against Barcelona in the semi-final before beating Bayern Munich in the final.
Lampard was asked about the similarities between the club’s current situation and that season, when a former Stamford Bridge favourite took the manager’s job whilst the team floundered and pulled off an unlikely European success.
He warned against allowing history to prevent his side from taking seriously the threat posed by the reigning European champions.
“I think there are parallels in a simple sense,” said Lampard. “We are (both) ex-players. The year Robbie was here he was an assistant, he had a big awareness of the squad. He got the job earlier in the year than I did.
“He did an amazing job. I think my situation is different in practice. I do have an awareness of the squad, but not close-hand to all of them.
“I have to be careful making that parallel, because obviously we have very tough games in front of us. There’s a lot of work to be done, but we’re very committed to trying to, if we can, make our own little bit of history.”
Defeat to Wolves at Molineux on Saturday marked the first time since 2007 that Chelsea had gone three consecutive leagues games without scoring, following a goalless draw with Liverpool and meek home loss to Aston Villa.
Lampard suggested the chance to lead a challenge for the club’s third European title was a decisive factor in his agreeing to take the job whilst the hierarchy seek a permanent replacement for Graham Potter, who despite overseeing the team’s slide down the league had enjoyed his best moments at Stamford Bridge in leading the team to the last eight.
Victory…
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