"Where we want to be": Blues would be better off without despite Lampard's endorsement - opinion

Frank Lampard has said that the Champions League is where the Blues “want to be” and he is “looking forward” to managing in it.

What did he say?

After a disappointing 2017/18 season during which they finished in fifth-place, Chelsea did not play Champions League football for the second time in three years last term.

However, under Maurizio Sarri, they ended the past campaign in third and also won the Europa League.

Lampard has since replaced the former Napoli manager, and he is looking forward to testing himself in Europe’s biggest club competition. Speaking ahead of the group stage draw on Thursday he said:

“It is the greatest club competition in football and I was lucky enough to win it once. I’m looking forward to working in it as a manager. It’s important for us, it’s where we want to be. It gets tougher every year, coming third [in the Premier League] last season and winning the Europa League gets [the players] that status.”

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European football could be hindrance

There is no doubt that the Champions League is the ultimate trophy for clubs in Europe. The prestige, the glamour, the best teams on the continent and the financial rewards make it the pinnacle.

Having said that, Chelsea would be better off if they hadn’t qualified for European football this term. Lampard is trying to implement a new philosophy into the side and has also made a point of using younger players, with Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham having heavily featured. That is hard enough to do in the Premier League without throwing in regular midweek games and, at times, long trips as well.

Mount and Abraham may be talented, but they are still new to the demands of the highest level. Whilst they have performed well so far, it will no doubt be a long, gruelling season and with the transfer ban preventing the club from bringing in new faces mid-term, these youngsters have a lot of pressure on their shoulders to perform. The Champions League may only increase that.

Bearing in mind how much of a rebuilding job is needed at Stamford Bridge after the sale of Eden Hazard, Chelsea would be perhaps better off this season focusing solely on Premier League football, clinching a Champions League spot for next year when they should be better placed to actually challenge in Europe’s elite competition.

For 2019/20, it feels like a distraction and another obstacle for Lampard to overcome.

from FootballFanCast.com https://ift.tt/2NHgtJS