Frank Lampard has been left frustrated by Graham Potter’s decision to leave Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang out of Chelsea’s Champions League squad.
That is according to a report by LondonWorld ahead of Chelsea’s trip to Real Madrid for the first-leg of their UCL quarter-final tie.
Lampard returned to Stamford Bridge last week in the wake of Graham Potter’s sacking and will serve as interim manager until the end of the season.
His main task will be to try and win the Champions League which would not only mean a trophy but also qualification for next year’s competition, with a spot in the Premier League top four highly unlikely given that the Blues are 11th in the table.
And though Lampard does have a large and talented team to work with, he is said to bemoaning the absence of Aubameyang whom Potter dropped from the squad in January.
The 33-year-old was named in Chelsea’s UCL squad at the start of the season by Thomas Tuchel but ahead of the knockout stage changes were made to accommodate the huge influx of January signings at Stamford Bridge.
Per UEFA regulations, only three new players could be added with Potter electing to bring in Joao Felix, Enzo Fernandez and Mkyhailo Mudryk, snubbing fellow January arrivals Benoit Badiashile, Noni Madueke and David Datro Fofana.
One more name needed to be cut however and Potter chose Aubameyang who has struggled since signing from Barcelona last summer, scoring just three goals in 19 games.
That decision has left Chelsea without a natural No.9 to play in the Champions League however, frustrating Lampard who would have liked to have used the former Arsenal captain, even just as an impact sub.
Aubameyang came off the bench to no avail for the final 23 minutes of Chelsea’s 1-0 loss to Wolves last Saturday in Lampard’s first game back in charge of the Blues.
Instead, the interim boss will have to rely on the likes of Felix, Kai Havertz and Raheem Sterling for goals, though finding the back of the net has been a major struggle for the forwards this season.
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