The Story Back Then
Chelsea sealed their spot in the round-of-16 of the Champions League this season with a win over Lille in their last match of the group stage at Stamford Bridge. The Blues defeated the French side by 2-1 with the goals coming from Tammy Abraham and Cesar Azpilicueta. Former Chelsea man Loic Remy scored in the later stages of the match to kindle a ray of hope for the Ligue 1 side but it proved too little too less for the visitors.
Before the match upon which their qualification in the knockout stages of the Champions League depended, Chelsea manager Frank Lampard was wary about a few of his players who were suffering from injuries. The list included names like Olivier Giroud and Fikoya Tomori with both the players out with injuries. However, he also confirmed that the German centre back Antonio Rudiger will feature for the Blues in the match against Lille.
The west London club faced a demoralising defeat at the hands of Everton ahead of their Champions League match. The Merseyside club got the better of Lampard’s men under the tutelage of their new manager Duncan Ferguson as they thrashed them by a humiliating scoreline of 3-1. However, that did not seem to have much of an impact on the Premier League club as they sealed a place in the Round of 16 with a win against Lille.
It has been an eventful December for the Blues as the transfer ban on them was lifted earlier this month. This means that the west London club will be able to bring in players in the January transfer window. Speaking to the media ahead of the match against Lille in the Champions League, Lampard answered questions about this recent development. He said, “You have to be careful not to be too reactionary. Ban lifted, lose at Everton it might be easy to come to that conclusion. As much as at the start of the season that we have got these young boys, we do not need anyone.”
Lampard added, “As a club like Chelsea there has to be a balance. We have a strong squad, but we have to look at can we strengthen? There will be times going forward, whether it is January or next summer there will be times and opportunities to strengthen.”
He went on, “You do learn as you go along with the players, every day in training and at games but it certainly has not changed my mindset right now.”
The Blues are currently placed at the fourth position in the league table and will be surely looking to stay in the top four. However, their inconsistent form being one of the major areas of concern for them, it is expected that the Blues will make some improvements to the squad, having qualified for the Champions League knockout stage.
The lifting of the transfer ban has been a piece of pretty good news for them and it is expected that the Blues will be making the most of this opportunity in the January transfer window.
The Results Post That For The Blues
Though the Blues did lose to The Toffees post that, they managed to recover in mid-week in the Champions League. The west London qualified for the knockout stages with a 2-1 win Lille, which would be a huge boost. They will now be focused on beating Bournemouth at the weekend, whom they face at Stamford Bridge.
Lampard’s key goal will be to finish in the top four and try his best to win some titles in the days to come. Hopefully, his team can keep performing positively and win more matches.
