Chelsea: Lampard says team weren’t at Champions League level
Chelsea were beaten 3-0 by Bayern Munich at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night in the last-16 first leg Champions League tie. However, while the Blues were second best for the majority of the game, boss Frank Lampard thinks his players can turn it into “a positive” experience.
The 41-year-old coach, who has won the competition as a player, was managing his first Champions League knockout tie yesterday.
He decided to keep the same starting XI and system that beat Tottenham 2-1 on Saturday despite only having a two-day break between the games.
The match was goalless at half-time before former Arsenal youngster Serge Gnabry went on to grab a quick-fire double in the space of four minutes.
The first came five minutes after the game had restarted, when the German played a one-two pass with Robert Lewandowski and then side-footed the ball into the back of the net from 12-yards out.
Chelsea news: Frank Lampard hopes his players can turn the Bayern Munich loss into ‘a positive’ (Image: GETTY)
Lewandowski then played the role of provider again, when his through ball put Gnabry behind Chelsea’s defensive line and the 24-year-old proceeded to effortlessly place the ball past Blues keeper Willy Caballero.
Bayern’s third was scored by Lewandowski. However, he only needed to tap the ball into the back of the net after being set up by Bayern’s left-back, Alphonso Davies, who showcased his speed and dribbling talents in the build up to the goal.
And while Lampard felt his squad can learn from the experience he did single out Mateo Kovacic for praise.
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy