[ad_1]
Chelsea are “far from being a crisis” and talk of speculation about Frank Lampard’s long-term future at Stamford Bridge is too premature, insists former midfielder Andy Townsend.
The Blues have only won one of their last five Premier League games, suffering three losses in that time, after drawing 1-1 with Aston Villa in the form of Dean Smith on Monday night when Anwar El Ghazi canceled the header. by Olivier Giroud.
That result means that if Liverpool beat Newcastle at St James’ Park on Wednesday, Chelsea could be nine points behind the league leaders after 16 games.
Heading into the Villa clash, surprise reports from Germany – the same outlet that broke the news that Paris Saint-Germain fired Thomas Tuchel – suggested Lampard could be fired if the Villans won last night.
The report suggested that Tuchel, sacked by PSG on Christmas Eve, is considered an option if Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich opts to part ways with Lampard.
DO NOT MISS: Chelsea to consider Thomas Tuchel’s appointment if Lampard is fired
The club legend, Chelsea’s all-time top scorer, spent nearly £ 250 million in the summer transfer window in hopes of closing the gap with Liverpool and Manchester City at the top of the table.
But their current routine has undermined the progress made by the Londoners, who seemed to have established themselves as big contenders for the title in recent weeks.
However, Amazon Prime insider Townsend, who spent three years as a player at Chelsea between 1990 and 1993 and made more than 100 appearances, insists the Blues aren’t in real trouble.
Lampard’s team produced a much better performance against Villa despite not winning, having been well beaten by rivals Arsenal at the Emirates just 48 hours earlier.
And after the Chelsea manager reflected that his team is just not getting ‘the brush of the green’ in the minute, Townsend stated: ‘I think when Chelsea were having hot streaks a few weeks ago they were able to get up front and create substantial leads in various games.
“As Frank said there, it’s a bit lacking right now. It’s not serious. It’s far from being a crisis even though its current form isn’t great.
“The team showed today that there is a very competitive spirit in the camp, they are capable of creating chances.
“I thought [Christian] Pulisic returned to play very well for them, he looked very dangerous when the ball reached his feet. There is still a lot to look forward to in 2021 if you are a Chelsea fan. “
Townsend added: “It was a brave decision to make so many backline changes against a confident team, a dangerous Villa team.
“It would have been interesting, if Frank had known a little more about the Man City game [this weekend] Potentially postponed, would you have altered your thinking a bit when thinking about selecting this team? Maybe I could have.
“They had occasions, great blow of [Ben] Chilwell, Timo Werner had a shot on his right side when he came in. It wasn’t like they were direct, they created some good situations but they just couldn’t turn them. “
MUST READ …
Thomas Tuchel interested in replacing Chelsea manager Frank Lampard
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard calls for COVID caution as Manchester City draw is at risk
Chelsea ratings: two shining stars for Frank Lampard but five fights
Speaking after the game when asked if he felt he had seen a positive response from the loss to Arsenal, Lampard stated: “Yes, I definitely did in performance. We started very well, Villa had some moments, we managed them in the first one. half.
“We passed the first half very well and got a goal that we deserved. In the second half, we concede when we have a man on the pitch. That’s the race we’re in at the moment.”
“And then we pushed, we pushed and we couldn’t break the deadlock at the end to get the win. But attitude-wise, effort-wise, part of the game was really good against a good team.
“A lot of our game was really good. When you’re in a bit of a rough time, sometimes things don’t go quite right for you. A month ago, we probably won that game. Things go well for you with a little faith.
“Now it’s a tough little moment, so you have to fight to get through it. But I can’t ask for more than what the players gave, the way they worked.
“All the players, no one let me down tonight. They all worked after playing two days ago in what was a difficult match for us. The attitude was great, we just didn’t understand green in some way.”
[ad_2]
