Frank Lampard has admitted that Chelsea’s bloated squad is to blame for the team’s lack of cohesion and terrible winless run since his return to Stamford Bridge. The Blues have lost all six of his games in charge by a combined score of 12-2, extending their winless run to nine games. If they lose against Bournemouth on Saturday, it would mean that Chelsea would have lost seven matches in a row for the first time since the 1960/61 season, and Lampard will have lost 11 consecutive Premier League matches, matching former Norwich manager Daniel Farke’s unwanted record.
Lampard believes that the large squad, which was assembled by Todd Boehly’s record breaking spending spree, has made it difficult to create a tight, connected unit. He has used 28 players in his first six games alone and believes that having strong partnerships is key to success.
The Blues’ next permanent manager will have to trim the squad down, with former Tottenham and PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino still in talks to takeover the west London club. However, Lampard had no update on this matter. For now, the objective is just to beat a Bournemouth side that have remarkably won five of their last seven games and who could move ahead of Chelsea in the table if they claim the three points.