Chelsea will have a hilltop to climb when they enter after a semi-winter break in lieu of keeping their 4th position intact. The Blues will face Manchester United at home whom they have not yet defeated this season.
As the race for top-4 heats up, the necessity to win every fixture increases for Lampard and his squad. The young and rejuvenated team of this legendary midfielder will have to prove their mettle when they step in against a squad they are yet to perform good against.
“It’s a critical time for us and I need the young players to do their thing. I think when you come through this academy, you should understand what playing for the first team at Chelsea looks like. You must always drive yourself and drive yourself and, if there’s times when you’re not necessarily at your best, you need to drive yourself again,” Lampard said.
“The young players have made a great impact this season and we’ve had reliance on them to a degree, because we knew we couldn’t bring anyone in at the start. Through the season I think there are going to be some difficult times and, if you look at Tammy Abraham at the moment, and maybe Mason (Mount), I think the break was particularly good for them as they can come back and hopefully show more levels in their game.
“There’s been tough little times recently and I think it’s up to them now. They’ve shown they are part of this first-team squad and they’ve all had their good inputs but I want more and I think I want more now.”
Lampard added by citing his own example and said: “The young players have made a great impact this season and we’ve had reliance on them to a degree, because we knew we couldn’t bring anyone in at the start. Through the season I think there are going to be some difficult times and, if you look at Tammy Abraham at the moment, and maybe Mason (Mount), I think the break was particularly good for them as they can come back and hopefully show more levels in their game.
“There’s been tough little times recently and I think it’s up to them now. They’ve shown they are part of this first-team squad and they’ve all had their good inputs but I want more and I think I want more now.”
“At the same time how can we get that extra 10 or 15 per cent which I think we’ve been lacking? We would have had a lot more points on the board (if we did) and made fourth look a lot more comfortable,” he said.
The idea of this champion is clear and he is hungry to get as much as he can. The comments are obvious of his desire to play the Champions League and it is good to see the winner think as one.
