13 April 2023 , 21:30
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Frank Lampard is on a “mission” to save Chelsea’s season - and will have to rebuild their confidence in front of goal.
Crisis club Chelsea have now gone 374 minutes without a goal and it is the first time they have failed to score in four consecutive games in 30 years. Lampard is now charged with getting goals from a team bereft of belief ahead of facing Brighton who inflicted one of the worst defeats - a 4-1 mauling at the AmEx - of their nightmare season back in October.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the only natural centre forward at the club but has been so out of favour that he is not even registered in their Champions League squad. Kai Havertz and Joao Felix have both been asked to play as false 9s while Raheem Sterling's confidence is shot to bits.
But despite the obvious lack of firepower, N’Golo Kante insists that they have the right man and enough quality in the squad to get back on track.
A European place looks a long shot as they have slipped into the bottom half of the season and they will have to score three past Real Madrid to overturn their Champions League quarter final first leg defeat in the Bernabeu.
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But Kante believes they can still rescue their fortunes this season with just eight games left in the Premier League and the possibility that next Tuesday could be their last European game for a long time.
When asked about whether Lampard can rebuild confidence, Kante said: “I think he came here for a mission and is trying his best to achieve a better end to the season.
Frank Lampard has lost his first two games back at Chelsea without scoring a goal (Angel Martinez/Getty Images)“We are all together now for this target and we still believe we can get something from this season. We believe we can still get results and improve but it must start with confidence and our belief will grow.”
Kante played in the Bernabeu and brought some much needed quality to Chelsea’s midfield and they looked more like a top quality outfit.
It was another bad night and the 14 time European champions could have won more comfortably. It also leaves Chelsea facing the prospect of not being in Europe.
They last missed out on the Champions League in 2018, finished tenth in 2016 and then won the title the following year without the distraction of European football.
But the financial cost is where it could really hurt owner Todd Boehly as they could miss out on up to £100m in prize money and also they may have to do a fire sale to balance the books after their huge transfer spending sprees.
However, Kante insists that Chelsea can still turn the tie around. “Of course, we are disappointed with the result, but the second leg is at home and we have to believe we can achieve something special. We need to prepare well for it,” he said.
“We can still do something special and make it a big turn around. We have experience and big players in this squad. But first we have the game at the weekend. We need to believe and start to grow and with belief then we can still achieve something.”
N'Golo Kante's last four Chelsea appearances have remarkably come under as many managersIncredibly, Kante’s injury record this season means that his game against Real Madrid means his last four games have all come under different managers.
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Kante played for Thomas Tuchel in August, played for Graham Potter after recovering from a long lay-off, played in Bruno Saltor’s only game as caretaker against Liverpool and then in the Bernabeu under Lampard.
His injury absence has clearly been a factor in Chelsea’s poor form and results this season as he is such an important player. But he says he is now back to fitness and ready to play a role for the rest of the campaign.
He added: “I feel fitter now, I feel good and ready to play. It has been frustrating but I believe I can help us now for the rest of the season.”