After his team’s Champions League loss, interim Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has made a bizarre admission that he didn’t realize Real Madrid “were that good.”
Lampard, who was fired by Chelsea in 2021, made a surprising return to Stamford Bridge this month after Graham Potter was fired.
As the Blues had to travel to the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night, the interim Chelsea manager faced a challenging task ahead of him. Unsurprisingly, goals from Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio sealed a 2-0 win for defending Champions League holders Madrid in the first-leg quarter-final tie.
Lampard has now suffered back-to-back defeats as Chelsea caretaker manager, with the Blues suffering a shock 1-0 defeat to Wolves last Saturday.
10 – Tonight was the first time Chelsea have faced 10+ shots on target in a game (10 in total) since August 2019 vs Liverpool (11) in the second game of Frank Lampard’s first spell as manager, with tonight the second game of his second spell. Repeat. pic.twitter.com/I2OMCUV3Mu
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 12, 2023
what Did Frank Lampard Say After The Match?
Speaking after the Champions League defeat, Lampard admitted that it was a “difficult night for the lads” after Ben Chilwell was sent off early in the second half. However, the former Everton and Derby County manager has urged his side to bounce back in the return leg at Stamford Bridge on 18th April.
“It’s a big challenge against a team with a quality of Real Madrid, but the door is open. It is up to us whether we want to kick it open further next week,” he said.
Lampard: “No sabíamos que el Real Madrid era tan bueno”
— Arancha Rodríguez (@AranchaMOBILE) April 12, 2023
“We have mixed emotions about tonight’s game. With 11 we were in it and had some chances. I definitely think we can utilise our strengths better.
“There are things to work on and I can see opportunities there from tonight. We have to believe it is possible: a percentage of the game is mindset, a belief.”
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He added: “The fans will believe. They will come and support us. They are realistic. We’re 2-0 down against Real Madrid, but that is done now.
“And I have been involved in games before where we have changed it. We are in a different place now and maybe that’s a good thing. We’re in a place where we want to prove people wrong, to change the tone, to change the story.
“We were down to 10 men against Real Madrid. It was a difficult night for the lads. It will be different next week.
“We’re not favourites: we weren’t favourites yesterday and we’re not favourites today, but that’s football. The possibilities are there is we can take them.”
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