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In recent weeks, Frank Lampard has been very modest in his assessment of Chelsea’s ambitions for the season.
The Blues manager previously tagged his side as title contenders, but their recent slump in form has forced him to revise his notes.
Chelsea’s summer spending spree was supposed to push the club to the next level. After finishing fourth in the Premier League despite a transfer embargo last season, the west London giants were expected to challenge for the title this term.
However, it hasn’t quite happened yet for the Blues, whose summer signings are currently battling for form. Neither Timo Werner nor Kai Havertz has hit the ground running, while Hakim Ziyech has been hot and cold.
Worryingly, Chelsea have also won just three of their last nine matches in all competitions. The silver lining, though, is that they returned to winning ways last week and are gradually building momentum.
Leicester City to test Chelsea’s level
Successive wins against Morecambe (FA Cup) and Fulham (Premier League) have renewed Chelsea's confidence but the Blues face a sterner test against Leicester City on Wednesday.
The Foxes are one of the in-form teams in the Premier League and currently occupy second place on the table. On the contrary, Chelsea are seventh in the standings and are six points behind Brendan Rodgers’ side.
The season still has a long way to go, and Chelsea are still in with a shot of moving up the league table. However, what is yet to be determined is whether they will be title contenders or top-four aspirants.
The game against Leicester City will, therefore, give Chelsea fans a fair idea of the true level of their team. Should they win, it would be the Blues' first victory against a side in the top half of the Premier League.
A defeat, however, would only derail Chelsea’s ambitions. The Blues are currently eight points below leaders Manchester United and cannot afford any more slip-ups at this stage.
Frank Lampard has very little time to turn things around
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Frank Lampard indirectly pleaded for more time to turn things around at Chelsea. However, time is a commodity that he currently does not have.
The Chelsea manager said, as quoted by Goal:
“People were touting us as title challengers, [but] we have a squad that's young in composition - especially in forward areas. We don’t have the players in those areas that this club has had before, that are goal machines or assist machines that win you games.”
“We haven’t got Eden Hazard contributing 50 per cent of goals or assists. We haven’t got a [Diego] Costa scoring 30 goals. We are developing those players and I believe in them strongly. We are not quite there where other teams around us maybe are at the front end of the path."
He added:
“For us there could be tough times. So it’s important for me and the players to keep working but also stay patient and calm.”
Chelsea were not impressive in their narrow 1-0 win against Fulham last week and will need to improve massively if they are going to beat Leicester City.
Meanwhile, Lampard is on a short leash, and only the right result can guarantee his stay at the club.
