Chelsea News Roundup: Ben Chilwell heaps praise on 'huge' Chelsea star, Frank Lampard opens up on controversial penalty call, and more — 7th November 2020

Chelsea are set to return to Premier League action against Sheffield United after their UEFA Champions League commitments in midweek. The Blues emerged victorious over an ambitious Rennes side, albeit with one man short after the visitors' defender, Dalbert, was sent off in the first half at Stamford Bridge.

The 3-0 win against the French side is the latest win as part of an impressive run of results, and Chelsea have managed to keep five successive clean sheets in all competitions for the first time since ten years. For a side that was struggling at the back during the start of the campaign, it's been quite the turnaround for Frank Lampard's men. Here, we take a look at some of the latest Chelsea news.

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Former Blues defender doesn't believe Lampard is under pressure

Ex-Chelsea defender Sinclair (L) competing with Frank Lampard

There was talk of Chelsea manager Frank Lampard being under pressure after a shaky few results on the back of one of the most historic summer transfer windows of the club. The Englishman oversaw a spend of over £200m in the summer, bringing in up to seven new players to the club. However, the Blues have recovered well after a questionable start to build some valuable momentum across all competitions.

Speaking on the manager, former Chelsea defender Frank Sinclair said that Lampard is not under any sort of pressure, and that owner Roman Abramovic will be more patient with him. He said;

"I wouldn’t necessarily say there’s massive pressure on Frank Lampard this season, but there’s an expectation there, that’s for sure. Even when Frank came in last season, there was an expectation of finishing in the Champions League spots, even though he had obvious restraints and had to work with what he inherited as a squad."

"And fair play to him for finishing in the top four – not only that but he was always there or thereabouts last season as well. There’s a lot of pressure that comes with spending an owner’s money – they expect to see value for that money, so Frank has to deliver."

The 48-year-old added,

"The days of Roman Abramovich being ruthless with managers are gone. It seems he’ll have a lot more patience with Frank, being a lot younger and inexperienced. He’s pretty much learning on the job and getting better and better with each game, so I’d be surprised if Roman was to get rid of him just for not winning the league or finishing in the top four."

Max Allegri has been tipped as a potential replacement for Lampard should he have failed to turn his side's fortunes around.

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Ben Chilwell heaps praise on new teammate Edouard Mendy

Edouard Mendy's inclusion in the first XI has seen a remarkable change in Chelsea's defensive solidity. The Senegalese goalkeeper became the first Chelsea keeper to register five clean sheets in a row since Petr Cech, and has, so far, been a massive upgrade on the error-prone Kepa Arrizabalaga.

6 - Edouard Mendy's 🇸🇳 first 6 games with Chelsea in all comps:Clean sheet v Burnley (3-0)Clean sheet v Krasnodar (4-0)Clean sheet v Manchester United (0-0)Clean sheet v Sevilla (0-0)Clean sheet v Crystal Palace (4-0)1 goal conceded v Tottenham (1-1)Wall. 🧱 pic.twitter.com/LbaAjE0QKJ

— OptaJean (@OptaJean) October 31, 2020

Fellow new signing Ben Chilwell has been immensely impressed by Mendy. Speaking on the former Rennes keeper, Chilwell expressed;

"If you see Edou [Edouard Mendy] every day in training he makes the goal look so small. I don’t know if you see it on TV, but he’s absolutely huge! As a person he is probably one of the most laid-back people you are going to meet. He’s settled in very quickly, he gets on with everyone, he speaks great English which has probably helped him a lot, and he’s super easy to get on with."

Mendy has been an astute signing for Chelsea so far, and has made an immediate impact upon his move to Stamford Bridge.

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PGMOL confirm that Chelsea should have had penalty against Manchester United

There was immense controversy over a penalty claim from Chelsea during their fixture against Manchester United. While in the Red Devils' box, it appeared that the hosts' skipper, Harry Maguire, had his arms over Cezar Azpilicueta's neck. Former Blues striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink went on to say that Maguire 'strangled' the Spaniard, making it a very questionable penalty call.

Patrice Evra has compared Harry Maguire to Hulk Hogan for his grapple with Cesar Azpilicueta 🤣Should Chelsea have had a penalty?#MUNCHE pic.twitter.com/nRNFbyTMgJ

— Goal (@goal) October 24, 2020

On the back of this decision, Lampard confirmed that the PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) admitted that the penalty should have been given in favour of Chelsea. Speaking on the same, Lampard expressed;

"The one [penalty] against Manchester United recently for us, that goes against us, we've inquired about the reasons for that decision. We've been told that it was a penalty; VAR didn't take much time to look at it. And that goes against us and possibly, probably, lost us two points on the day."

Chelsea were awarded two penalties during their UCL clash against Rennes, after which Lampard expressed his disappointment at the decision at Old Trafford.

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