"That performance summed it up” - Frank Lampard makes honest admission after defeat on Chelsea return
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has reacted to his club's disappointing 1-0 defeat suffered at the hands of Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday (April 8).
The English tactican marked his return to the club with a defeat that once again raises huge concerns surrounding the state of Chelsea this season.
A stunning 31-minute strike from Wolves midfielder Matheus Nunes condemned the Blues to their 11th defeat of the 2022-23 Premier League campaign.
Reacting after the game, interim head coach Lampard revealed that things need to improve for the Blues in terms of performance and results. He also said that their performance against Wolves summed up their struggles this season.
Speaking in a post-match press conference, he said:
"There has been a lot of change and that's not an excuse but things need to improve and I think that performance summed it up. I have to get an understanding of it. You have to get used to winning and make it a habit."
He continued:
"We will work to recreate it. We will get into those positions and repeat it. Maybe there's a feeling you won't score. I've been there before and as a club we need to address it."
The defeat still leaves Chelsea in the 11th position in the Premier League table on 39 points. It further pushes them further away from fourth-placed side Manchester United, who are on 56 points.
Next for Lampard and his Blues team will be a mouth-watering UEFA Champions League quarter-final first-leg clash away to Real Madrid on April 12.
Frank Lampard speaks on Mason Mount's future at Chelsea
The English tactician has given his thoughts on the contract situation surrounding one of his midfielders in Mason Mount.
The Chelsea academy graduate is believed to be at logger-heads with the Blues as regards extending his current contract, which expires in 2024.
Meanwhile, interim head coach Lampard has revealed that he is yet to speak with the midfielder concerning his future. He said:
"I don't know enough about it to talk about it and I think it would be wrong for me to delve into anything other than, Mason has always been a fantastic player for me from my days at Derby."
Lampard also praised Mount and stated that he understands the Englishman's situation at the club. He said:
"The impact he had there to when I came back to Chelsea. It's with absolute pleasure that I've watched him amongst others that I coached in that period, Reece James, Tammy Abraham and [Fikayo] Tomori to have gone on to be huge players here or elsewhere."
He added:
"That's great but with Mason I know he's had a few slight injury problems, so I understand, it will be important to speak to him. I know what I get from Mason, so I just want to see him perform on the pitch. We have a good relationship so we'll talk a lot, I think he's a huge player for Chelsea and has been in his time here, so I look forward to talking to him more."
Mount has made 32 appearances across competitions for Chelsea this season, scoring three goals and making six assists.