Frank Lampard said that Chelsea have to be tougher and show more personality after they failed to repel an impressive fightback from Leicester.
Lampard is still waiting for his first win of the season and he was unable to hide his frustration after his first home game as Chelsea’s manager ended in a disappointing 1-1 draw. The 41-year‑old’s new side appeared to be on the right track when Mason Mount fired them into an early lead but they faded in the second half and were pegged back when Wilfred Ndidi headed in Leicester’s equaliser.
“It’s a results business,” Lampard said. “There are personality moments in the game and we have to be tougher. If a game turns slightly, we are good enough to wrestle that back and move the ball better. That’s something for all of us to work on.”
Chelsea played extra time and penalties during their defeat by Liverpool in the Uefa Super Cup on Wednesday but Lampard refused to blame his side’s midweek exertions in Istanbul for their inability to beat Leicester.
“I hate the tiredness excuse but it has to be a factor in the second half,” he said. “I saw Liverpool play yesterday and I know it would have been tough for them. We were all in it together for 120 minutes. But I think we are good enough that if that is the factor we can take it out by being better on the ball. We turned it over too many times and allowed them counterattacks, which means you run a lot. I feel for the players a bit on that one but I don’t want to use it as the overriding excuse.”
Lampard praised Mount after the youngster scored his first Chelsea goal. “The epitome of his talent is his goal,” he said. “The energy to close people down and the energy to finish it.”
One consolation for Lampard was the reception he received from Chelsea’s fans. “It felt great,” he said. “It was a special moment for me to walk out and come back to the club. It’s the stuff of dreams but my focus today was on the game. I appreciate it. Thanks very much to the fans. But I’m here to do a job. I’m here to try and win for this club and we can do better than we did.”
Brendan Rodgers felt that Leicester deserved to win. “It was a tough start for us,” he said. “What gets tested as a team is your spirit and we had to hang in there. After that we regained our composure. Second half I thought we were very good. A point was the least we deserved.”
Rodgers was impressed with James Maddison in Leicester’s midfield. “He was outstanding,” Leicester’s manager said. “So clever. He’s such a good player.”