Frank Lampard believes Chelsea are “too nice” and struggle to even compete as a team.
The Blues were blown away by Arsenal in Tuesday’s London derby at the Emirates Stadium, going 3-0 down inside just 34 minutes.
Speaking after his sixth successive defeat, Chelsea’s interim boss explained how he had to shout at his team about simply doing the basics at half-time.
Lampard said: “The first-half performance was not good enough, in every way. We were nice to play against in every way, nice off the ball, passive.
“Things we spoke about before the game defensively, we didn’t do. We didn’t restrict space between the lines, we didn’t pressure the ball, we didn’t make contact with Arsenal players.”
Lampard went on to explain why his side improved in the second half and got a goal through Noni Madueke, adding: “It was maybe things I said at half-time that to be fair, I said before the game.”
Until now, Lampard has repeatedly defended his players but the lack of desire to fight for results without the carrot of European football next term is evident for all to see.
After losing his sixth match since returning to the club, he couldn’t deny his players’ lack of ability to compete.
“I’m not questioning the players as lads,” Lampard added. “From being good lads to transferring it onto the pitch. You don’t need to be aggressive through the week to be an aggresive player when you go on the pitch. That has to be something that you do.
“It is a basic. It’s two things. I think it’s a mental desire, to get up to people. It also starts with the capicity to be able to do it.
“If you haven’t been conditioning and doing that, and you don’t do it on Wednesday, don’t do it on Thursday, you won’t do it on Saturday or whatever day you want to talk about.
“When those things become you as a group, they don’t change overnight and we’re seeing that at the moment.”
