CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard says “Real Madrid didn’t create a big number of chances” in Champions League win
Madrid made a mountain for Lampard to climb after beating them 2-0 at the Santiago Bernabéu, but he still believes.
Frank Lampard’s Chelsea were given a lesson in football at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu by a Real Madrid team that rode the waves and cruised to a 2-0 home win in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg, thanks to goals from Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio. Lampard took over from Graham Potter just days before facing the reigning European champions and, as such, this defeat did not come as much of a surprise.
He now faces an uphill task to reorganise his troops and go again in a week in London, but, as he told the press after the game, he is confident that Stamford Bridge can also conjure up its own magic on a special European night, just like the home of Los Blancos is known for.
More detail: Real Madrid 2-0 Chelsea | Champions League quarter-final | Minute-by-minute & analysis
What are your immediate thoughts on the game? Is 2-0 quite a big challenge? I think it’s a big challenge, a team with the quality of Real Madrid. The door is open, it’s up to us if we want to kick it open next week or not. There’s a mixed emotion about the game, we were in the game, we could have done better. We can utilise out strengths better: with the system of wingbacks we could be more urgent. That’s what we have to work on. I could see opportunity there tonight, the spirit at the end of the game was great. A lot of things can happen, we didn’t give them lots of great chances. I have to be the first one to believe that it’s possible.
Was the plan to use 5 at the back specifically for Vinicius? Partly the reason. I think I had different things to consider. Vinicius one versus one is a problem for any team. We wanted to get two versus one. Fofana getting the yellow card early so early didn’t help. You don’t want to be a back five as much as you can, we tried to enforce that. You want to be a three and use the width and the pitch. I thought we could have done that a bit better. It was a weapon for us. In terms of the system, the thinking was very clear on that, to deal with threat, but to give us, in possession, more control of the game.
Do you believe it can be a special night at Stamford Bridge? Absolutely. The fans will come and support is. We’re 2-0 down to Real Madrid and that’s a fact and that’s done. We’re in a place where we want to change the tone and prove people wrong. It will be different next week, we’re not favourites, we weren’t favourites today.
What can you do about the lack of goals in the team? I get that question a lot and my first feeling is work on the training pitch. I don’t think we can go much further with what we do there, we need to get confidence and we need to work to find that. Continue to work. No player doesn’t want to score a goal, they need support and confidence and to be pushed in a positive way. That’s what I need to do until the end of the season.
In England, they are talking a lot about Asensio’s goal, was it a tactical issue? It wasn’t a tactical issue, it was a not switching on issue and not being focused in the moment. We’re not ready, we’re one man down but from a set piece you still need to control the basics. I don’t think Real Madrid created a big number of chances. You shouldn’t concede from set-pieces.
Is next week going to challenge your future? I don’t think one game will dictate my future. I’m here for the I took the job until the end of the season and that understanding. I don’t see it that way. I’m not thinking what might happen in May or June. I’m here for this period, after that, we’ll see.
Real Madrid take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge next week, Tuesday 18 April 2023.
