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There was a time when a game between Chelsea and Stade Rennais could have had Blues fans biting their fingernails. Just a few weeks ago, many Chelsea supporters would have gone into the game not knowing what to expect.
However, as the London outfit prepares to host Rennes in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, the general feeling is that of optimism thanks to Frank Lampard.
The former midfielder was maligned early in the season for failing to get the best out of his star-studded squad. But he has so far managed to overturn the situation and has the team finally ticking all the right boxes.
It is worth noting that Chelsea have lost just one game from open play this season, a defeat which came at the hands of Liverpool in the Premier League. They also lost to Tottenham, but on penalties, in the League cup following a 1-1 stalemate.
Chelsea unbeaten in last six games
The Stamford Bridge outfit have, however, picked up the pieces and are playing some delightful football at the moment. The biggest challenge had been their porous defence but even that has improved massively.
Chelsea have now kept clean sheets in five of their last six games in all competitions. Even better, Lampard’s side is yet to concede in the Champions League and sit top of Group E going into match-day three.
In Edouard Mendy, Chelsea have found a real shot-stopper who is also good at organising the defence and commanding his goal area, while the team’s attackers are also finally beginning to gel.
Hakim Ziyech has scored in his first two starts for the Blues, while Timo Werner and Kai Havertz have started combining for goals upfront.
Lampard's Chelsea becoming clean sheet specialists
Meanwhile, Lampard has also managed Thiago Silva very well, resting the 36-year-old center-back between games to keep him fresh and sharp.
"It's always a big challenge for top clubs, there are a lot of demands. There are a lot of managers who are calling for more subs as the high demands can be real injury concerns," Frank Lampard said ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League game, as quoted by Goal.
"We have to go game by game. We have to get better and we have seen a nice uplift in the way we are playing," he added.
Indeed, there is enough reason to be optimistic. Four consecutive clean sheets in Chelsea’s last four games is no mean feat, especially with the club scoring seven goals during that period. There’s certainly been a massive improvement at Stamford Bridge.
