Lampard dreams of winning the Champions League like in 2012
"Part of winning the 2012 championship was that we died against Barca at Camp Nou in the semi-final and waited for our chance," Lampard said on April 11 in his pre-match press conference. "But we have the desire, the big personality and the level of the whole team that has been fighting for years to win the Champions League. So let's take that championship as inspiration. A team that will always be there. going through tough times to achieve great things."
Sitting next to the English teacher, Enzo Fernandez - the star who landed at Chelsea for a record fee of 135.5 million USD in the mid-season transfer window - shared the same. "Lampard talked to the whole team, and he wanted us to be calm," the Argentine midfielder said. "Chelsea is a club with a long history. Lampard told us he won the Champions League at the worst time at Chelsea. It was a great example for us."
Chelsea experienced a tumultuous 2011-2012 season when Andre Villas-Boas was sacked midway through conflicts with players. But then, interim coach Roberto di Matteo helped Chelsea create a miracle when winning the FA Cup and Champions League double. Lampard, then the Chelsea captain, and his teammates beat Bayern 4-3 in the penalty shootout of the Champions League final at the Allianz Arena.
Chelsea are going through a similarly tumultuous season as they were soon knocked out of the FA Cup and League Cup and finished 11th in the Premier League. The Stamford Bridge team still has two general changes, when respectively sacking Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, and then appointing Lampard as interim coach until the end of the season.
Lampard admits Real is more appreciated, but believes the students will overcome all doubts. "There is nothing better in football than making the club underappreciate and getting a good result," said the England manager. "It's one of the best things I've ever experienced, and it's an exciting challenge for Chelsea."
The 44-year-old coach emphasized that he is not afraid of pressure, after making his debut with a 0-1 loss at Wolves in the 30th round of the Premier League last weekend. "Football at the highest level comes with pressure. If you can't handle the pressure, you're not a big club, you're not a big player or you deserve to be in the game," said Lampard.
Chelsea have spent a total of 668 million USD to bring in 16 players over the last two transfer windows, for the 2022-2023 season. However, "The Blues" still went through a turbulent campaign and received criticism for its lack of personality, enthusiasm as well as a leader on the field. Lampard understands these criticisms and thinks this is normal when the club is in decline. The English coach said his job is to convey confidence and mentality to a certain extent, but the rest is up to the players, when they have to show it on the pitch.
Chelsea received a big boost when Thiago Silva, N'Golo Kante and Mason Mount returned to full training and went with the whole team to Madrid. However, Lampard is still without the services of Hakim Ziyech, Armando Broja and Cesar Azpilicueta.
