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Frank Lampard is running out of time to fix Chelsea striker problem in Champions League race

Action Images via Reuters
Action Images via Reuters

It will be a while yet before Frank Lampard comes under any pressure as Chelsea head coach, but the ­repetitive nature of disappointments like this is starting to reflect badly on him and not just his players.

Manchester United were indebted to some generous interpretations of ­incidents upon VAR review — most significantly Harry Maguire’s first-half kick on Michy Batshuayi which somehow went unpunished — yet the Blues would have led early on regardless had they not squandered several promising positions in all-too-familiar fashion.

Lampard afterwards rued Chelsea’s recklessness in front of goal, a refrain he has repeated on so many occasions it may be starting to become a self-­fulfilling prophecy.

The 41-year-old is right, of course, with Batshuayi the principal culprit on this particular occasion, but there is a risk of a psychological factor coming into play, particularly with players shot on confidence, as the Belgium striker so obviously is.

The jeers upon his substitution last night will not help, but Olivier ­Giroud offered enough enterprise in his 22-minute cameo to suggest he must surely start against Tottenham on ­Saturday if Tammy Abraham fails to recover from an ankle problem in time.

Lampard made no secret of his desire to sign a striker in January and would have allowed Giroud to leave in search of regular first-team football had a replacement been acquired.

The failure to do so places a greater emphasis on Lampard’s ability to extract the best from the Frenchman, a player who thought a move was imminent, Batshuayi, whose future beyond the summer is uncertain, and ­Abraham, who has taken every ­challenge in his stride but at just 22 is being asked to carry the goal burden in pursuit of a ­Champions League place.

Some delicate man-management is required. Lampard appears perfectly capable of that, but the margin for error is diminishing the longer ­Chelsea falter.

Manchester City’s possible two-year ban from the Champions League ­complicates the picture somewhat, yet after a run of just one win in six League games, the Blues’ grip on fourth place has weakened to the extent that seven teams are within seven points of overhauling them.

Tottenham head that list and if there is one man who will pose precisely the same question Chelsea failed to answer again on Monday, it is surely Jose Mourinho.

Batshuayi suffered a difficult evening at Stamford Bridge (Getty Images)
Batshuayi suffered a difficult evening at Stamford Bridge (Getty Images)

Few will appreciate the irony more than Mourinho of his successor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer being lauded for the contain-and-counter tactics that secured victory at Stamford Bridge.

Mourinho’s overt caution was described as being at odds with United’s expansive DNA, yet Solskjaer continues to achieve notable — if also inconsistent — results by persisting with a safety-first tactical structure that initially got him the job on a permanent basis.

The Portuguese will relish the chance to line Spurs up in similar fashion on Saturday, with Heung-min Son spearheading their breakaways, and the onus will be on Lampard to find a way to avoid a similar fate, which would only enhance the sense of concern heightened here.

It may well be that this group of ­players simply isn’t up to the task in the long term, hence why Lampard is keen to shake up the squad this summer, with Ajax’s Hakim Ziyech the first of several expected through the door.

Injuries have not helped either and Lampard’s options will be limited again on Saturday, with Christian Pulisic and Callum Hudson-Odoi again sidelined, while Andreas Christensen suffered a suspected broken nose on Monday and N’Golo Kante was substituted early on with an adductor problem. Kante will have a scan on Tuesday, but his chances of facing Tottenham are slim. Lampard is hopeful Abraham will recover in time to help ease Chelsea’s concerns in front of goal, but it was noticeable that even when the England striker was in his purple patch, the Blues boss openly identified a greater collective goal return as a clear area for improvement.

“I don’t like losing games the way we are losing games,” said Lampard after Chelsea’s ninth League defeat. “Particularly at home, where we have had big chunks of possession, big chances at goal, around goal but not finishing.

“It is a reality that is getting clearer all the time. We are not getting enough goals in the striker areas. Tammy had his period at the beginning of the ­season, now we are not getting enough, enough from wide areas, that is a fact.

“It is hard to win games. You can ­dominate as much of the game as you want, but in this Premier League there are not many teams who can keep clean sheets week in, week out.”

Chelsea need to improve defensively and in attack. It would be a greater ­concern going forward if they were failing to create chances in the first place, but the lack of efficiency at both ends of the pitch is beginning to cost them. Chelsea having opted against any January signings, Lampard must find the answers from within.

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