Frank
Lampard insists Chelsea will look to bridge the gap to the top of the
Premier League in their own way, and will not copy Liverpool or Manchester
City.
Lampard has Chelsea in a credible fourth place in the Premier League in his
first season as manager at Stamford Bridge, having dealt with a transfer ban
for the summer window.
Speaking on The Football Show, Lampard says bridging that gap will not be
done easily, but says the Blues have their own unique process in the search
for success.
"I don't want to jump the gun because what Liverpool and Manchester City
have done has been clear; I'd be a fool to suggest we can bridge that gap
quickly because there has been a lot of hard work at those clubs in terms of
recruitment of top players, of great coaches.
"We have to be part of that process. We have to do it our way, we can't try
to copy. We have had experienced players around this year to help the
youngsters but we know there are little areas within the squad… some of
that's what we have on the ground here already, some of that is how we might
look to recruit.
"What's going on in the world has made it very difficult to plan on that
front. But going into this break I certainly felt we were moving in the
right direction and with continued progress and work on the training ground,
as well as potentially bringing in some players in key areas to try and help
us bridge that gap, yes, I've got a strong belief that we can [challenge]."
Reflecting on the season so far, Lampard says the club have been searching
for consistency, but overall is happy at where Chelsea are given their
transfer restrictions and the youth in their side.
"I'm always the first to criticise myself and look at what we could have
done better. I'm pretty happy with where we are in fourth. It was always
going to be a difficult, competitive year for us to be in and around that
top four and we're there at the moment.
"How can we progress from here? We have youth; we've been searching at times
for consistency, which I think can happen with a young team. I'm pretty
happy with where we're at but I want a lot more. As a manager, you're never
ready to settle.
"This situation has given us time for reflection but you do miss that
day-to-day feeling of being with staff and players. I've tried to use some
time to reflect and start planning and looking forward. As a manager, a lot
of that preparation time is a big part of what we do; as a player, I'm sure
they're champing at the bit."
Regarding the postponement of football due to the coronavirus pandemic,
Lampard admits there has to be a large element of trust given to his players
that they are keeping fit and healthy, but says the fact several of their
players could have recovered from injury by the time football returns is a
bonus.
"It's very hard to manage fitness. You have to have a big element of trust
in the players. They are good professionals.
"They're all trying to be in as good a condition they can be coming back and
the one good thing is that we had four or five major-ish injuries and it's
given them time to have a bit of rehab work. Hopefully that gets us a bit
fresher when we come back."
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