"His words moved us all, because it’s what we needed" - Chelsea star hails Frank Lampard for his impact at the Blues as interim coach
Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana has opened up about Frank Lampard's impact at the club following the latter's appointment as interim manager.
The Blues sacked Graham Potter on April 3 and have now appointed Lampard as interim manager until the end of the season. He, however, hasn't had the best of starts at the club. Chelsea have lost all three games across competitions under Lampard so far.
Fofana, though, has explained how the club legend is pushing them to play for the badge and go back to the basics. The French defender told Telefoot:
“He was welcomed back in the best way possible, because he’s Mr. Frank Lampard. He’s a club legend. He told us to get our confidence back, and play simple football again. To get back to the basics, really. His words moved us all, because it’s what we needed, to get our confidence back. And to realise that we’re fighting for a club. We’re fighting for a great club.”
Chelsea have had a terrible 2022-23 campaign. They are 11th in the Premier League table and have scored just 30 goals in 31 league games. They were eliminated from both domestic cup competitions early on.
They have reached the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals but lost the first leg 2-0 against Real Madrid.
Wesley Fofana on Chelsea's chances at eliminating Real Madrid from UCL
The Blues lost 2-0 against Real Madrid in their UEFA Champions League quarter-finals first-leg clash at the Santiago Bernabeu last week. They will look to overturn the deficit at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, April 18.
This is the third meeting between the two sides in the competition for the third year in a row. Chelsea won the first tie in the 2020-21 season and went on to lift the trophy. Incidentally, they sacked Lampard that season and appointed Thomas Tuchel.
Referencing that win, Fofana shared his thoughts on their chances of overturning the 2-0 deficit on Tuesday, saying:
"Chelsea have already done it after a difficult season before, with a new coach arriving. They won it in 2021. So I think it’s possible, it’s in the club’s DNA. We’ve had a bad season, we know that. Now it’s up to us to show what we’re capable of. There is quality in this squad.”
The west London side are winless in their previous six games across competitions and will certainly need a big performance if they are to eliminate Real Madrid.