The final three games of the season for Chelsea are an opportunity for the team, led by Frank Lampard, to show why they should be given a chance to stay at Stamford Bridge or be lured elsewhere.
During the last week of the Premier League season, Chelsea faces a challenging finish. At Etihad Stadium on Sunday, they take on the defending champions Manchester City, then travel to face Newcastle United and Manchester United, two top-four challengers.
There isn’t much to play for with Chelsea down in 11th position since they are too far behind to qualify for one of the European championships.
But Lampard, who was appointed interim manager last month, believes every player must understand they have to impress, either to capture the eye of the upcoming permanent head coach Mauricio Pochettino or to persuade someone else to purchase them.
Lampard responded, “No, absolutely (not),” when asked if the Chelsea players could afford to dismiss these contests as meaningless exhibitions. It is crucial that people respond in that way. Whatever their incentive may be—whether it’s to impress a new manager or a club they may be going on to—if that’s the drive they require, they should seize it and put it to good use.
Three of the top four teams are on our schedule, along with two away games beginning against Manchester City. There are two ways to approach the situation if you’re a player: either you say, “I don’t fancy that because it’s going to be too challenging,” or you say, “No, I’m going to show individually in my own way what I can do in the game.”
I’ve been here long enough to know that certain players do that. I’m interested in seeing if the other ones want to demonstrate that. Regarding performance, it really is that easy.
If Manchester City wins the game with a perfect score, they will raise the Premier League trophy afterward. If Arsenal loses to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, Pep Guardiola’s team will still finish first.
If Manchester City wins against Chelsea as predicted, Lampard wants his teammates to know how much effort it will take for them to one day win the championship.
“We should definitely be respectful (of any trophy celebration on the day of the game), but the only inspiration (I want) for the young players to take is what it took for Manchester City to get where they have gotten, not the moment they lift the cup,” continued Lampard, who won three Premier League titles while playing for Chelsea between 2001 and 2014. It is the adventure of John Stones, Ilkay Gundogan, Erling Haaland, and Kevin De Bruyne.
“A player occasionally needs to realise that the moments of triumph are the result of years of labour, oftentimes in the face of insurmountable obstacles.
“Do you have to be as brutal as they are? Yes. It is unquestionably necessary. Podcasts and Netflix programmes on athletes are all around us in the present era. Recently, I rewatched The Last Dance solely to review it.
“We talk a lot about accomplishments, legacies, and what individuals have done, but the reality is that it takes a lot of work to go anywhere. On the path to success, there is a lot of failure. As a player, you must pay attention to that and act on it rather than just nodding along.