04 May 2023 , 00:00
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Former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton echoed Cesc Fabregas in asking questions of the Blues' methods after their defeat at Arsenal on Tuesday.
Caretaker manager shuffled his pack, bringing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang into the side in one of a number of changes. It didn't bring an upturn in results, though, with three first-half goals setting the Gunners on course for a comfortable victory.
Speaking on Sky Sports after the game, former Arsenal and Chelsea star Fabregas laid bare the difference between the London clubs in comments which don't reflect well on Lampard. Now ex-England international Sutton - once the Blues' record signing - has come to a similar conclusion.
"Chelsea are collecting only ‘L’s — losses — under their caretaker manager, the latest coming in a pitiful 3-1 defeat at Arsenal," Sutton wrote for The Mail. "It was enough to make you wonder what they do in training during the week.
"‘Passive’ was the word Lampard used in his post-match interviews," the 50-year-old added. "The players have to take responsibility for these pathetic performances, but so too does the manager for the identity crisis this has turned into. I liked Cesc Fabregas’s take on this car crash.
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"What started as a supposed ‘free hit’ has turned into a reputation killer for Lampard and after this it is difficult to see how he gets another job in the Premier League."
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Frank Lampard's Chelsea found things difficult against Arsenal (Getty Images)Sutton's comments came after Fabregas - a title winner with Chelsea in 2015 and 2017 - had his say. "I think we saw two different sides," the former Spain international told Sky Sports.
"One was really well-drilled, very well-coached with clear ideas, patterns of how they want to press - especially in Chelsea’s half - how they want to attack, how they’re going to find their movement. They were fluid and Chelsea allowed that.
"I felt sometimes Chelsea, we used to have a coach when we were little and it was like we have eleven olives, you throw them on the table and this is the tactics that sometimes we’re looking at. Sometimes I couldn’t believe it, the tactical and technical mistakes we’re seeing from Chelsea players."
The defeat in North London was Chelsea's sixth on the spin in all competitions since Lampard took over on a short-term deal following Graham Potter's dismissal. Lampard also lost his last four in charge of Everton before being sacked in January.
Chelsea's caretaker boss has a chance to find an instant response from his squad against Bournemouth on Saturday. The Blues - currently 12th in the league and six points off the top half - will then round off the season with games against Nottingham Forest, Manchester City, Manchester United and Newcastle United.