Chelsea’s new recruits have not been given the opportunity to find the connections necessary to build a winning team, according to Frank Lampard.
The Blues looked incoherent and without a plan in losing meekly 3-1 to Arsenal on Tuesday, a sixth straight loss on a run that has seen them sink to 12th in the Premier League table.
Several of the players who were signed in January have failed to make a significant impact, with Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke in particular big-money buys that have shown only flashes of their talent.
Madueke at least netted his first goal for the club in the loss at the Emirates, something Mudryk, who cost £88million despite only having made 44 first-team appearances for Shakhtar Donetsk, is yet to achieve.
There has been little consistency in the starting XI, something that was apparent under former boss Graham Potter and has continued into Lampard’s dire interim spell.
It has made an unbalanced squad, loaded up on creative talent but with no one to score goals, look even more disjointed on the pitch, with little apparent chemistry. They have scored only twice in their last eight games.
Chelsea will drop below Bournemouth should they lose to Gary O’Neil’s side at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday, despite the fact their opponents have spent most of the season battling relegation and were in the bottom three at the start of April.
“The numbers show you we’re the team that changes its XI the most,” said Lampard. “Coming in at this point for me, it’s trying to find the connections and partnerships in the team which are crucial as we all know.
“The great teams we’ve witnessed over the years, you can pretty much always name connections. Full-backs; Liverpool off the top of my head, the full-backs are absolutely central to what they do.
“When you’re trying to find that, it’s difficult, and I think it’s important to know that when we’re in a bad run and those things are not settled, it’s very hard to get consistency of what you want.
“You end up searching for it, and that’s probably why people call it a transition. That’s a challenge. In my position as much as we want results, because results will get thrown in your face, we also need to try and find those little connections within the team going forward.
“Some of the younger players that have come into the club have maybe not had the opportunity to settle, to feel comfortable within the team, to understand the full-backs are going to overlap them, or the midfield players are going to support them.
“That is a process, and that needs work. It’s probably work I haven’t been able to do in this role as interim. It feels less in practice about coaching to that degree.”
Lampard defended Raheem Sterling despite the England forward’s form having totally deserted him during Chelsea’s slide.
Sterling, who was the first signing of the club’s whirlwind recruitment drive this season, has not replicated the performances that saw him score 131 goals in seven seasons at Manchester City, en route to winning four Premier League titles and becoming a lynchpin of Gareth Southgate’s national team.
He has managed only four league goals since arriving at Stamford Bridge in July.
“I’ve spent the last three years talking to all my younger wingers that I work with, showing them videos of Raheem Sterling arriving at the back post, doing defensively the work he does,” said Lampard.
“You absolutely cannot take that away from him, what he’s done, for Manchester City and England.
“When you move club, even though everyone on the outside goes ‘oh what hard work that is, moving from Man City to Chelsea, what a terrible situation’, it does bring around changes in your life.
“Of course maybe the form of the team this season has not been great, so there can always be a lot of contributing factors to individual form.
“He’s got credit in the bank. Keep working, things around him falling more into place, I think with Raheem he’ll show what he’s shown in his career.
“We have a lot of understandable reasons and stories within the squad, the newer younger players, some players who will be moving on. There are a lot of those reasons.”
'I love him' - Arteta adamant title fight will not affect relationship with Guardiola
Mikel Arteta insists the title fight between Arsenal and Manchester City will not affect his relationship with Pep Guardiola.
The sides played out a dramatic 2-2 draw in the Premier League last Sunday, with City snatching a last-gasp equaliser after 10-man Arsenal had staunchly defended throughout the second half.
Leandro Trossard was dismissed at the end of the first half, receiving a second yellow card for kicking the ball away, and Arsenal were accused of using the "dark arts" in their attempts to come away with three points.
The Gunners spent a total of nine minutes and four seconds on their goal-kicks in Sunday's match – the most by any team in a Premier League game this season.
Meanwhile, the average delay at Arsenal restarts (goal-kicks, throw-ins and free-kicks) was 42.7 seconds, with only Aston Villa versus Wolves (47.3) taking longer this term.
Multiple City players have since criticised the tactics, with arguments also taking place on the pitch, but Arteta says his friendship with Guardiola would not suffer because of any on-pitch disagreements.
"I love him [Guardiola]. I respect him and admire him. I admire his team and everything he does," Arteta said.
"This is sport. One thing is our professional, another is my personal relationship. If that has to be damaged because we play against each other, then I wouldn't talk to him anymore!
"That's not the relationship I consider both of us have. Sport will never get in my way for a personal relationship, for sure."
Asked if the accusations aimed at Arsenal could affect it, Arteta added: "It depends. If it's true, but if it's not, and you show your integrity, do what you think is right, it doesn't have to.
"It's opinions. If you don't like them, you shouldn't be sitting where I am.
"It's simple, don't take it personally, make sure you handle the things you care about in the right way, and I really care about that relationship. It's the same as a lot of staff and players I've spent very important years of my life working with."
Arsenal are back in action against Leicester City in the Premier League on Saturday.
Postecoglou lauds 'under pressure' Ten Hag ahead of Old Trafford test
Ange Postecoglou believes Erik ten Hag has done a "fantastic job" at Manchester United ahead of Tottenham's visit to Old Trafford this Sunday.
Ten Hag, who has won the EFL Cup and FA Cup during his tenure with the Red Devils, has been the focus of criticism for a lack of identity in his time at the helm.
The Dutchman led United to their worst-ever Premier League finish last term, along with conceding 58 goals - the most they have let in during their time in the top flight.
But Postecoglou, along with his opposite number, has endured a difficult start to the campaign, with Spurs 10th in the early-season standings with seven points.
The Spurs head coach has come under fire for his team's slow start, having previously said that he "always win trophies in his second season."
And the Australian's upcoming assignment is no easy task against a side Tottenham have historically struggled against at Old Trafford.
United have won 24 Premier League home games against Spurs – only Arsenal have beaten a team more often at home in the competition’s history (25 vs Everton).
Postecoglou has also seen his side fail to perform away from home, despite having taken 14 points from his first six Premier League away games in charge.
Since, Spurs have managed to take 14 points from 15 games away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (three wins, five draws and seven defeats).
Among ever-present Premier League teams across the last two seasons, no side has won fewer away games since the start of November 2023 than Spurs' three.
Bournemouth (24), Nottingham Forest (19) and Crystal Palace (15) are among the clubs to better their 14 away points won in that span.
A result for either side could kickstart their respective seasons, but Postecoglou showered praise on Ten Hag ahead of kick-off this Sunday.
"There’s always some manager under pressure," Postecoglou said.
"There must be a spinning board with all our faces on and whichever it lands on cops it for a week or two.
"He’s done a great job. He keeps mentioning he’s won two trophies and that’s not insignificant.
"Everyone keeps saying that is all I need to do but then there is always something expected after. It is a difficult job.
"It is tough to go to Old Trafford. Irrespective of managers, it is still a rather compelling home record. It is one we will be ready for."
Emery demands better from Villa despite strong start
Unai Emery is not satisfied with Aston Villa's performance levels despite their impressive start to the Premier League season, demanding a step up when they go to Ipswich Town.
Villa have won four of their five Premier League games this season to sit third in the table, just one point adrift of pacesetters Manchester City.
Emery's team fought back to beat Midlands rivals Wolves 3-1 last week before overcoming Wycombe Wanderers in the EFL Cup in midweek, while they also started their Champions League campaign with a comfortable 3-0 win at Young Boys.
Despite seeing his team win three straight Premier League games ahead of their trip to Portman Road, Emery wants more.
"Ipswich will be different but difficult, like the match before. We are trying to build a team. We have to try to get stronger tactically with our players," Emery said.
"We want to increase our levels individually and collectively through them and the process has been positive because we are getting points in this way.
"But of course, we have to improve a lot of things. The match we played against Wolverhampton was very good to analyse deeply how we were playing.
"We are winning but we are needing to change something to improve because maybe, in our matches, it is not enough to get to the other side like we are."
Ipswich, meanwhile, are one of six teams yet to register a Premier League victory this season, though they did deny fellow promoted club Southampton last time out, Sam Morsy netting a stunning 95th-minute equaliser in a 1-1 draw.
Boss Kieran McKenna has hailed his captain's tendency to pop up with crucial goals, though he feels the Egyptian needs to work on his celebration.
"It was one of the shortest knee-slides I've seen so I think there's a bit of work to do on the technique of the slide!" McKenna said.
"He's scored a few big goals for us to be fair and he's always come up with a slightly different celebration so maybe he isn't a regular enough scorer to have a stock one.
"If he can keep popping up with big goals, he can do whatever he wants!"
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Ipswich Town – Arijanet Muric
Although he only has one Premier League clean sheet in 14 games for Burnley and Ipswich, according to Opta's expected goals on target (xGoT) model, Muric has prevented 9.4 goals in the competition (21 goals conceded from an xGoT of 30.4).
That is the best prevention rate of any goalkeeper in the Premier League since he made his debut on March 16. He may have a busy game ahead of him this weekend.
Aston Villa – Ollie Watkins
Since Emery's first Aston Villa game in November 2022, only Erling Haaland (66) and Mohamed Salah (59) have been involved in more Premier League goals than Watkins (53 – 35 goals, 18 assists).
Watkins has five goal contributions (three goals, two assists) to his name in all competitions this season and could get some joy against an Ipswich defence that has given up 11.09 expected goals against (xGA) this season – the sixth-worst figure in Europe's top five leagues.
MATCH PREDICTION – ASTON VILLA WIN
Ipswich have only won one of their 10 previous Premier League games against Villa (two draws, seven defeats), triumphing 1-0 at Villa Park back in March 1994.
The Tractor Boys are winless through their first five games of the campaign, drawing three and losing two. They last had a longer winless run at the start of a top-flight season in 1982-83, failing to win any of their first six but ultimately finishing in the top half.
Ipswich have actually drawn their last three league matches, last drawing more successive games as a Championship club between February and March 2017. They last had a longer run of draws as a top-flight side in 1992 (five between August and September).
Villa come in as favourites, as they look to win their first three away games in a Premier League season for just the second time, previously doing so in 2020-21.
Emery has won nine of 10 league games against newly promoted clubs as Villa boss, including all four to take place on the road. Overall, he has a win percentage of 78% (14 wins, two draws, two defeats) in 18 meetings with Premier League new boys.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Ipswich Town – 26.2%
Aston Villa – 49%
Draw – 24.8%
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