Chelsea are on the brink of Champions League elimination after suffering a 2-0 defeat at the hands of defending champions Real Madrid last night at Santiago Bernabeu.
This was Chelsea’s second successive defeat under interim manager Frank Lampard, but the Englishman believes things can change for the better when the two sides meet for the second leg of the tie at Stamford Bridge next week.
While speaking in a post-match interview, Lampard, who was at the centre of several comebacks while playing for Chelsea, said that his players have to believe that it can happen.
“Special things can happen at Stamford Bridge, we have to believe.” Lampard said. To do this, Chelsea will have to score at least twice and keep Real Madrid at bay for the entire 90 minutes.
This could prove to be a huge task for the Blues who have not scored a single goal in four consecutive matches, their last goal coming on March 18 while Los Blancos have scored in seven consecutive matches.
When asked how his players can move out of the “scorer’s block” they are currently facing, Lampard said that they need to be more confident to kick the “door” that leads to goals.
“Sometimes it is confidence, whether that is an individual thing or team confidence. If you keep working, something can change. Take Mason Mount’s chance at the end, it might go in and the tie feels completely different. The door is open. It’s up to us to kick it open,” Lampard said, according to BBC Sport.
He added: “There’s a bit of a lack of belief. The players don’t know how good they are. There was some good in there. Next week will be a big fight. There are some details and mindset stuff, we have to be more positive. If we do that… I’ve been involved in those nights at Stamford Bridge.”
Lampard’s belief in a Chelsea comeback has some strong background. He was part of a Chelsea team that overturned first-leg deficits against Fernabehce (2007/08), Napoli (2011/12), and PSG (2013/14) to win in the second leg and advance to the next stage of the Champions League.
