Frank Lampard vowed “Chelsea will be back” despite their season ending with a whimper against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Chelsea exited the competition with a humbling 4-0 aggregate loss to the holders as a Rodrygo double condemned the Blues to a 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues, 11th in the Premier League table and 17 points off the Champions League spots with only seven games left to play, now face a season outside of Europe’s premier competition, leaving them with little to play for in the remaining weeks of the campaign.
“People will make a lot about this season as we’ve had so much success but the reality is: this club will be back,” Lampard said.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly was seen heading to the dressing room following the club’s defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League.
“It will take work and a bit of process. I think the fans appreciated the performance today, there have been times this season where they haven’t felt that so we have to latch onto that and get results until the end of the season.
“We’ve been fortunate to have so much success, many clubs would dream of having our success with Premier League’s and Champions League’s. Maybe this is the year where we aren’t where we want to be – could be to do with transitions. A few years ago we didn’t make the Champions League then Chelsea won the Premier League the next year so we can be too short term with it. There are places we need to improve as a club. The game tonight shows that as we played a good game and we lost.
“There are new players here getting used to the club, it hasn’t been easy. Some of the greatest players in the Premier League when they first arrive need time even when teams are flying. When they find their feet, they fly. That’s the case with some of our players in terms of transitioning.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Sky Sports News’ Gary Cotterill and Nick Wright give their full-time analysis of Chelsea’s 4-0 aggregate defeat by Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final, and ask: can anyone make these players gel together?
“The Premier League moves so fast and the landscape is changing. No team has divine right to be in the top four. Manchester United and Arsenal have spent times out of the Champions League – many big clubs have. In this moment it’s pointless to predict whether [being out of Europe] will be good or bad is pretty pointless. But we can set the building blocks of where we can get to. Can I affect it in this period? Hopefully, yes. But the bigger thing for the club is getting back to where we were. But the challenges are big. Everyone is getting better. Everyone is investing.
“Clubs are more stable than we are in terms of the squad. So we can’t get ahead of ourselves other than understanding what it takes to get back. I understand what it takes to get back from being here as a player and coach in the Champions League. We must set the standard high. In my next seven games I’ll do my mini-version of that.”
Lampard: Militao should have seen red
Chelsea gave Real Madrid plenty of issues in the first 60 minutes at Stamford Bridge with a positive performance on the night but, in keeping with their season as a whole, failed to take their chances, with N’Golo Kante spurning their two best opportunities.
A key moment came on 54 minutes when Eder Militao, already on a booking, stopped a Trevor Chalobah forward run but the referee decided against showing him a second yellow card. Lampard was left frustrated with the decision.
He said: “Militao was a second yellow card, I won’t say what I really think. At this level a yellow card is given a lot. In the attacking final third, the attacking player is beyond the centre back which is a yellow card which means a red and half an hour of here we go. That’s what we had to do [in Real], they should have had to do it here but it didn’t happen.”