Frank Lampard: Chelsea situation ‘could turn ugly’, says ex-striker Chris Sutton
Written by Mafken FM Newsroom on 29 December 2020
Frank Lampard’s situation at Chelsea could “turn ugly” if they do not go on a winning run soon, says their former striker Chris Sutton.
The Blues would have gone top of the Premier League with a win at Everton on 12 December.
But Monday’s 1-1 draw with Aston Villa means they have taken four points from five matches to slip to sixth.
“At the moment, they are a crisis club because they are underperforming,” Sutton told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“They are flat and that’s why Frank needs to get a few wins under his belt and extremely quickly because it can, as we know, turn ugly at Chelsea.”
Club legend Lampard, 42, marked his first campaign in charge by taking Chelsea to a top-four finish and the FA Cup final last season.
He was heavily backed in the transfer market, spending more than £200m on Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Ben Chilwell and Edouard Mendy.
But Sutton believes Lampard has yet to get his side playing “in rhythm”.
“Whether we like it or not, this is a totally different season for Frank,” Sutton said. “The pressure is on; he has spent the big money. Now the pressure will build.
“I don’t want to go too early on Chelsea and Frank because if they win three on the spin, they will be up into second place and we’ll be saying ‘can they win the title again?’ and that’s the way it is.
“But I don’t think Chelsea can win the title. They have to get back to a way of playing where they really find their rhythm.”
Despite the negatives, Chelsea have lost just one of their past 14 Premier League home games, winning 10, with that lone defeat coming against Liverpool in September.
And they topped their Champions League group to set up a last-16 tie with Atletico Madrid.
