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20:05, UK, Tuesday 18 April 2023

Chelsea are not a broken team and the club's co-owner Todd Boehly had every right to address the squad he has invested in, manager Frank Lampard said on Monday ahead of their Champions League quarter-final return leg against holders Real Madrid.

Chelsea, who trail 2-0 from the first game at the Santiago Bernabeu, are on a six-match winless run, with interim boss Lampard losing his first three games in charge.

With Chelsea 17 points off the Premier League top four despite spending more than 530m on players, winning the Champions League is their only realistic chance of qualifying for the elite competition next season.

The situation is similar to when Chelsea finished sixth in the league in 2011-12 when Lampard was a player at the club and they qualified for the Champions League by winning the trophy.

The 44-year-old said: "We are not where we want to be. I think broken is a bit much. League position is a reality and we are 2-0 down in this game. We have to work against that.

"I don't think anything tomorrow will be better than winning the Champions League in my opinion because we had many moments of that run of difficulties against Barcelona and Napoli.

"But because of the moment we are in, we have to fight very hard to get through, so winning it would be special."

Lampard also issued a rallying cry to the Stamford Bridge support to create a real atmosphere on Tuesday night.

"I think anything is possible in football," he said. "There is no doubt that we are competitive and we deserve to be here. The opponent is a really high-level.

"I've been here too many times at Stamford Bridge for a midweek Champions League knockout game to understand the atmosphere will be great.

"We need to engage the fans throughout because they can help us. It's why this two-legged competition is one of the best out there. I'm confident in that - we just need to play our part."

Lampard said he would have no problem should Chelsea fail to advance as he was proud to manage the club.

"What will be, will be after tomorrow," he added. "Every game is an opportunity to win games... an opportunity to get back to winning. Every game is and should be a huge game."

The Daily Telegraph claimed Boehly entered the Chelsea dressing room after the Blues' 2-1 home loss to Brighton at the weekend, which left the club in 11th place in the Premier League and without a win in six.

The report added that Boehly described Chelsea's current form as "embarrassing" as he singled out one senior player signed in the summer for not performing well enough.

Speaking before Lampard's press conference, Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalga claimed Boehly comes into the changing room after "every game" - something which the caretaker boss is happy with.

Speaking on the eve of Chelsea's Champions League quarter-final second leg against Real Madrid, with the Blues trailing 2-0 in the tie, Lampard said of Boehly's post-game behaviour: "I am comfortable with that.

"For me, there was some criticism of our old owner about not coming and being around - and that wasn't always true, to be fair. When an owner is very invested in the team and wants to help and improve, it's his prerogative to have the input that they want.

"I remember, as a player, the moments of when owners came into dressing rooms. It happened first here at Chelsea and it never really happened here before. I remember being happy that you could touch them and high-five them, you could listen to them and feel them. I don't think that's a bad thing in terms of the identity of the club and where you want to get to.

"I have no problems with it. I have my things I want to say after the game. If an owner wants to be positive and wants to speak to the players, then it's his part to do that.

"As Kepa said, it can be very regular in the modern day. In fact, it shows passion. That's what I like."

Pictures emerged of Boehly speaking with an angry Chelsea fan during the game at Stamford Bridge on Saturday and Lampard continued to insist that the passion at the club - however disgruntled it may be - is not a problem.

"Passion goes both ways," he added. "Fans show passion. I don't think the ownership would come in and be involved at Chelsea and expect anything other than complete passion for wanting this club to do well.

"We've been fortunate to have been very successful for a lot of years, the last 20 years, which means you want more of it. So I don't think anyone is schooling on that.

"Passionate owners want to make a difference and have a real vision for the club. We're in the early stages of the process on those terms.

"When you look at processes in the Premier League, we know we're off that, as we know. People always question everything at the beginning and in the early part of the process. We have to get our heads down with what is in front of us.

"Passion is normal, I think. I don't find it as a problem. We can all work with passion to work in the same direction to get where we want to be."

Carlo Ancelotti warned Chelsea will see their Champions League quarter-final second-leg meeting against his Real Madrid side as a "great opportunity" to turn a disappointing season around.

European champions Real lead 2-0 from last week's first leg at the Bernabeu after a dominant display against Lampard's side, who played the final 30 minutes with 10 men and were outclassed.

Victory would see Ancelotti's team move a step closer to retaining the trophy they won for the 14th time last season, when they knocked out the Blues in the last eight after a thrilling tie that saw Chelsea fight back from two goals down and still lose.

Fortunes have altered dramatically for the west London club in the 12 months since.

They are currently 11th in the Premier League having been eliminated early from both domestic cup competitions, with hopes of returning to the Champions League next season resting on winning the competition in June.

First they will need to give Stamford Bridge another memorable European night if they are to overturn the first-leg deficit and eliminate the holders.

"Chelsea has a difficult moment," said Ancelotti, who won a league and FA Cup double as Blues manager in 2010.

"I'm thinking the game tomorrow can be a great opportunity for them to move from this situation. We're aware of this, we take it into consideration. We will try to play at our best.

"We're good. We're motivated as always. These are all important games. We have to have a very complete game. Ninety minutes remain and in this type of competition anything can happen. We'll be ready to play at our best.

"We're not thinking that it's easy. That's the opposite of what we think. I know this competition well. I know what can happen in football.

"Last year, we thought [the quarter-final second leg against Chelsea] would be the most difficult game, and we had the advantage [Real won 3-1 at Stamford Bridge in the first leg]. Then what happened, happened. We want to struggle less [on Tuesday]."

Read more here:
Frank Lampard: Chelsea caretaker boss insists team is not broken with 'anything possible' against Real Madrid - Sky Sports