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Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard says people have “forgotten” how good Tammy Abraham was during the first half of last season and that the resurgent forward deserves more credit.
Having started the new campaign on the bench, Abraham has worked his way back into Lampard’s starting lineup, scoring in each of their last three games: wins over Sheffield United, Newcastle and Rennes, whom Chelsea face a again in the Champions League. on Tuesday.
Chelsea qualified for the top European competition by finishing fourth in the Premier League last season, and Lampard believes that a drop in the English forward’s form during the second half of the campaign caused many to forget the role Abraham played in club success.
The 23-year-old scored 10 of his 15 Premier League goals last season in Chelsea’s first 12 games, and was often on the bench with Olivier Giroud preferred in the lead after the restart in June.
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The summer signing of German forward Timo Werner appeared to represent another hurdle in Abraham’s quest for first-team action, and when he was an unused substitute in Chelsea’s season opener against Brighton, his situation looked bleak.
But Lampard believes Werner’s arrival may have even helped Abraham, saying: “The point of bringing in players like Timo is not just to bring quality, but to cheer on others around him, coming together on the court or by squad competition.
“I have more options in the attacking areas and I need good reactions. Tammy has shown a brilliant reaction and needs to be on that line. All young players need to be nervous every day to push themselves and play for this team.”
“When they play like Tammy right now, he starts to make my decisions easier because he’s playing so well.
“Connecting with people like Timo will obviously help, but first and foremost, it always has to be about the player himself. Tammy needs to take credit for her start and understand that the next challenge is staying consistent.”
Abraham scored 15 Premier League goals for Chelsea last season
Despite Lampard acknowledging that Abraham was not happy to start the campaign as a substitute, the Chelsea manager insisted that his forward maintained his professionalism at all times.
“With Tammy he really hasn’t come to see me,” Lampard said. “I have talked to him regularly and sometimes you can see from his face that they are not happy.
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“Particularly young players can’t hide it all the time, which is fine, because if he’s training well and preparing well and he looks great and doesn’t start, I understand why he would be frustrated, and he has been.
“The change is that they need to know that there is competition in a club like Chelsea in attacking areas … and it is competitive. So everyone has to take that one.”
Christian Pulisic has been out for a month due to a hamstring injury
Chelsea could secure their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League with a win in France on Tuesday, and Lampard will be able to host Thiago Silva and Kai Havertz again after the duo missed Saturday’s win at Newcastle.
Winger Christian Pulisic will not travel to Rennes as he remains sidelined with a hamstring injury, but Lampard says the USA international should be available for Sunday’s clash with Premier League leaders Tottenham, live on Sky Sports Premier League.
“Pulisic stays behind, he doesn’t travel,” Lampard said. “But he has had a good progression and hopefully he will be in a position to be selected through the weekend and beyond.”
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