Is Lampard Kidding Himself?
There’s always a turning point in a season, usually one game you can point to at the end of a season and say ‘that was it, that was the game that won/lost it’, and the game against Fulham could end up being the one we point to in May.
Of course, we’d already blown a couple of opportunities to get ahead of the pack before this game, but this is the one that saw us fall behind. This is one where Chelsea’s backbone is truly being called into question. And this is also the one that indicates we might not be the happy family our manager and players have tried to convince the press we are. Or at least, the heated words exchanged between Scolari and Bosingwa on the touchline didn’t look any friendlier than the Chelsea manager’s comments about his keeper after the game.
Still, Frank Lampard is doing his best to keep up the pretence that everything in the Chelsea garden is rosy whilst insisting there’s nothing spineless about this Chelsea side. Whilst standing in for the suspended John Terry (great timing there by the way JT) Lampard says “There’s three points in it and we’ve got a very good squad of players. Against Fulham it was frustrating because of the manner of losing all three points with that last-minute header. But we will go to United wanting to win that game. If we can get real consistency going, we can win the League. You can only win titles with never-say-die in your team. That is what Chelsea are all about. We’ve had it for the last few years and we’ve still got it.”
Have we though?
I mean, let’s be honest, we’ve gone from being in a position where we could’ve put daylight between us and second place, to going into the new year 3 points off top spot, and as much as I’d like to argue otherwise, Liverpool look less likely than us to nosedive right now. Add to that the fact that not only could United go above us if they win their games in hand but also that Scolari still has his first game at Old Trafford coming up, and I’m finding it hard to see where Lampard’s confidence is coming from.
Filed under: Current Players, Rants
I don’t think he was thinking that when he gave the immediate post game interview on Sunday - he looked like he knew the game was up for this season.
TBH, we have had another ‘Chelsea Christmas’ with one win and two draws from three games which should have produced three wins (as Everton have no fit forwards)..
Also, all the stuff about Abramovic maybe having to sell up is not going to help either - though its hard to understand why he would have lost 80% of his wealth when the stock market is ‘only’ down 35% in the year.
Lampard is being optimistic. For all the crappy playing and injuries that have occurred to the starting XI, we are only 3 points back. While we should be 10 points clear, at least we are close. We haven’t had our ideal starting XI play together all season. When Terry returns from suspension we’ll have the right 2 guys in center defense. Drogba is fit and Lampard is scoring again.
Let’s not write a Liverpool nosedive off just yet. There are still plenty of games left.