Chelsea legend Frank Lampard has claimed the standard at the club has depreciated. The club’s all time highest goal scorer was in charge of the team on interim capacity after the sack of Graham Potter last season.
Lampard questioned the team’s bond in the dressing room and lack of fitness amongst players.
Responding to the claim, Chelsea assistant captain Ben Chiwell said the statement from his former boss is fair and accurate. However, he added that despite the inconsistencies this season, the team is on the right path under the guidance and mentorship of the Argentine tactician Mauricio Pochettino.
In his words, Chiwell said:
“Unintentionally, nobody does it on purpose, but as someone who came in as Frank did at that time he could see it wasn’t where he would expect it to be for one reason or another.”
“It is difficult to pinpoint why. I can see why he said that but it wasn’t intentional or something we wanted to happen but a lot of circumstances contributed to that last season.”
Extolling the leadership, qualities and work ethics of Argentine boss Mauricio Pochettino, chiwell revealed that:
“He is a very demanding manager, which is what you want of course. There will be training sessions and games where personally you think you have done well and then he will pull you in and tell you what you could have done better. Then there will be other games when maybe you didn’t think you did very well and he does.
“It’s a balance really. He is very good in terms of keeping you on a level. Nobody gets ahead of themselves if they have a few good games, likewise, if things aren’t going our way he keeps the spirits high.
“There’s an accountability if things aren’t going well. It’s not all dressing it up and making it look better than what it is. He keeps spirits high and lets you know if you are not up to standard.”
“He is very good at understanding a player’s mindset. Even within the team, he knows the players he can dig out and he knows the ones he needs to put an arm around.
“That’s the sign of a good manager. Not everyone has the same personality – some need digging out and some need an arm around the shoulder. A great trait to have and he does.”
