Frank Lampard has held his press conference ahead of Chelsea’s Champions League Group E clash away to Rennes tomorrow evening.
The Blues go into the match in a strong position in their group and could seal qualification for the last 16 with a win, having picked up seven points from their opening three matches in the competition.
Chelsea go into the game having secured another three points in the Premier League with a 2-0 win over Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Saturday.
Lampard knows that qualifying early will present an opportunity to rest his key players in the concluding two matchdays should he see fit, perhaps a huge benefit given the hectic schedule, something the Chelsea manager has bemoaned recently.
Here are the key points from the 42-year-old…
On the team: ”Kai (Havertz) and Thiago (Silva) will both travel and are fit to play, Christian (Pulisic) won’t travel but he has come on well and should hopefully be fit for the weekend.”
On the schedule and the possibility of rotation: ”I have looked at the schedule and it’s brutal. We play Arsenal on Boxing Day and then a game a few days later. We need to try to win this game and if we can step into the next round then we could rest players, but we still want to win the group. I am confident in the squad, even if we rotate.”
On defensive improvement: ”We have coached and we have assessed the main areas of where we conceded. Some were mistakes in the games, like Southampton and West Brom. Sometimes it is small margins, but what has gone up is the concentration of the team and the work and personnel helps that. The collective has to be the most important thing.”
On Olivier Giroud: ”Very important in our squad, he will always want to play more. I want him to be here and stay, but I have a good relationship with him and if he feels differently then we will have that conversation.”
On Tammy Abraham’s form: ”I am really pleased with him. He is playing really well at the minute. In some parts it got forgotten how good he was at the beginning of last season. The second half was more difficult, but he is relatively young. I am seeing a mirror of his training.”
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Positive words from the boss, who would certainly be wise to consider resting some of his overworked assets should the Blues clinch qualification to the knockout stages on Tuesday.
The double boost of Havertz and Silva returning is another positive in what is quickly turning into a very optimistic time to be a Blue.
