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Lampard wants more quality
Frank Lampard has pointed to a “lack of quality” as being one of the key reasons why Chelsea have struggled in the Premier League in recent weeks.
The England midfielder, whose two goals helped Chelsea to a thumping 7-0 victory over Championship outfit Ipswich in the FA Cup third round, is now looking for the team to turn around their fortunes in the league.
They have won just once in their last nine league outings which has seen the club slump to fifth in the table and Lampard, when asked about that run of poor form, said: “There are quite a few reasons for that, a lack of confidence being one of them.
“But there has also been a lack of quality and workrate. We need to step it up across the board to get back to where we want to be.
“Everyone at Chelsea understands we’re not expected to have the run of results we’ve had. We have high standards and the results we’ve had in the past two months is not the level we expect.
“The league games we have coming up are very important and we need to take the spirit and energy we showed against Ipswich, which has maybe been lacking before, into the next few matches.”
Injury
One of the significant factors behind Chelsea’s struggles has been the absence of the influential Lampard due to a hernia and groin problem for the best part of four months.
The injury was at first thought to be minor but with the benefit of hindsight Lampard admits he should have been more patient during his rehabilitation.
“It (the injury) was not misdiagnosed,” he admitted. “It was probably a little bit my fault. It is always easy with hindsight but now I would have had a lot more rest when I first did the injury.
“I was trying to push to be fit for games when I should have waited for my body to naturally heal. When you think you are going to be back every week and people keep asking you that, and then you’re not, it becomes even more frustrating.
“Some of the weeks, particularly in the middle of it, I couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Chelsea dismantle Tractor Boys
Chelsea took out their frustrations on a managerless Ipswich side in the FA Cup, scoring seven goals.
The Stamford Bridge crowd, starved of goals in recent weeks, were treated to a seven-goal demolition reminiscent of Chelsea’s early season dominance.
Carlo Ancelotti made changes to his side ahead of the third round clash, bringing in youngsters Patrick Van Aanholt, Josh McEachran and Daniel Sturridge.
It took until 33 minutes for the Blues to break the deadlock courtesy of a Salomon Kalou strike.
From that moment on the goals came thick and fast as Chelsea put Ipswich and Ian McParland to the sword.
Taking charge for the first time following the departure of manager Roy Keane, McParland had the unenviable task of setting up a side to face a determined Chelsea side.
Two goals each from Sturridge and Frank Lampard, a Carlos Edwards own-goal and a Nicolas Anelka strike brought an end to a torrid run of results for Ancelotti’s men.
Chelsea were handed a tricky fourth round tie away at Everton midway through the game and never looked like losing their grip on the game.
Slow start
Despite the number of changes and standard of opposition, Chelsea – looking to become the first club to win a hat-trick of FA Cups since the 1880s – continued to be dogged by a lack of cutting edge in the opening half-hour.
Sturridge, rewarded with a start after scoring five times for the reserves on Thursday, saw one chance closed down by Marton Fulop and another balloon off target.
They were almost made to pay by the team who had boss Roy Keane sacked on Friday.
A fine break involving Jason Scotland and David Norris ended in the former unleashing a left-footed piledriver which Petr Cech could only beat away.
Chelsea surged down the other end and Anelka looked to have put them ahead but Troy Brown produced a brilliant clearance off the line from the Frenchman’s low finish.
Lampard blasted over after good work down the left from Van Aanholt and McEachran’s drive was deflected behind off Connor Wickham.
A lovely Chelsea move was then spoilt by a horrible finish from Anelka, who made amends by providing the breakthrough in the 33rd minute after Ipswich gave the ball away in midfield.
Chelsea sprung forward and Anelka’s finish hit Fulop and squirmed towards the line before Kalou made sure.
It was 2-0 less than a minute later, Sturridge tucking home Jose Bosingwa’s low cross after more poor defending from the visitors.
Lampard’s weak 20-yard shot was straight at Fulop as Chelsea looked to kill off the tie before half-time.
Ipswich captain David Norris was booked for a poor tackle on John Terry and Lampard made him pay from the resulting 41st-minute free-kick, with Carlos Edwards flicking the ball into his own net.
Anelka’s mis-hit finish was straight at Fulop at the start of the second half but the striker finally ended his barren spell in the 49th minute, finding the bottom corner after a neat exchange with Kalou.
Ipswich had been preparing a substitution at the time and immediately withdrew Scotland for Ronan Murray.
Goals galore
Chelsea began to play with a swagger and Sturridge made it 5-0 three minutes later, curling superbly into the top corner from just inside the box.
Ancelotti threw on another youngster, with Gael Kakuta replacing Kalou.
Peters drilled wide in search of a consolation before the highly-rated Wickham was replaced by Tamas Priskin.
Chelsea lost Van Aanholt to injury for the final 20 minutes, with Jeffrey Bruma entering the fray.
The home side were in cruise control but Ipswich pressed the self-destruct button again twice in a minute to hand Lampard a quickfire double.
The England midfielder blasted home from 15 yards after the visitors failed to clear a corner, and then bundled home Branislav Ivanovic’s low cross.
It was party time at Stamford Bridge and Ramires fired over with the outside of his right foot before Chelsea fans showed their support for the under-pressure Ancelotti, who responded with a wave.
Kakuta, Anelka and Ivanovic all had chances to make it 8-0 in stoppage-time before the final whistle ended Ipswich’s torture.
Foxes shine against City
Leicester proved to be more than a match for Manchester City on Sunday as they secured a 2-2 draw in the FA Cup third round.
The Foxes made the perfect start to an entertaining contest, with Sol Bamba bundling home inside the opening 60 seconds.
James Milner and Carlos Tevez helped turn the tie around, as City flexed their Premier League muscles, but an uncharacteristic error from Joe Hart allowed Andy King to snatch a deserved leveller for Leicester shortly after the hour mark.
Sven Goran-Eriksson had his troops fired up for a meeting with his former employers and the hosts took just 45 seconds to break the deadlock.
City were caught napping from a short corner and Foxes new-boy Bamba was in the right place at the right time to notch with his first touch in English football.
Bruno Berner then went close to doubling Leicester’s advantage when he snuck in at the back post, but Hart was equal to his effort.
City finally started to find their feet after a rude awakening and Patrick Vieira saw a well-struck volley beaten away by Chris Weale, before Milner levelled things up on 23 minutes.
Tested
The England midfielder exchanged a neat one-two in midfield with Tevez before drilling a low left-footed effort into the bottom corner.
Tevez lashed over from 18 yards after collecting a loose ball on the half-hour, while at the other end Hart’s reflexes were tested by a stinging 25-yard drive from Yuki Abe.
Leicester were very much in the ascendency as the first-half came to a close, with Bamba causing all sorts of problems to the City defence from set-pieces.
They were unable to make their dominance count, though, and City got their noses in front on the stroke of half-time.
This time City played a short corner of their own and once Milner sent over a skidding cross, Tevez was on hand six-yards out to flick the ball past Weale.
Leicester, having taking heart from the opening 45 minutes, burst out of the blocks at the start of the second period, with Lloyd Dyer racing through before firing into the stands.
City’s heads appeared to still be in the dressing room at this stage, with the hosts running riot.
Jack Hobbs planted a free header over the bar, with no defenders in sight, and it became only a matter of time before an equaliser arrived.
Spilled
King duly hauled Leicester level on 64 minutes, taking advantage of a spill from Hart to poke the ball past the City keeper and roll it into an empty net.
The visitors continued to push their luck thereafter, with Richie Wellens felled right on the edge of the box before Bamba, again rising highest from a corner, saw a towering header nodded off the line by Milner.
For all of their failings, though, City should really have booked their passage into the next round 10 minutes from time.
A flowing break saw Tevez square to the unmarked Nigel de Jong, but he fired straight at Weale and is still to break his scoring duck for the Blues.
With time running out, Abe flashed a sliced effort well off target and Jo was unable to pick out a team-mate after surging into the box down the left.
Both sides gave their all in search of a winner, with neither particularly keen to add a replay to their already hectic schedule, but there was to be no late drama, with Tevez seeing the final chance of the game blocked by the feet of Weale.
The two sides must now meet again at Eastlands in order to find a winner, with a contest against Notts County awaiting the victors in round four.
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