Chelsea vs Brighton press conference: Lampard updates on Koulibaly injury, Kante fitness and hints at changes
14 APR 2023
Speaking ahead of Chelsea's Premier League home game against Brighton & Hove Albion, caretaker manager Frank Lampard confirmed that Kalidou Koulibaly is out of contention due to injury and suggested there could be changes to his line-up as he manages the fitness of players like N'Golo Kante.
Our next match with Brighton at Stamford Bridge on Saturday comes in a busy spell for Frank Lampard and Chelsea, sandwiched between the two legs of our Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid.
Given our midweek exertions in Spain with 10 men, and a crucial second game at the Bridge coming up on Tuesday, Lampard confirmed he is considering changes to his side to face Brighton as he tries to avoid a drop in intensity when the Seagulls come to west London, as well as offering other members of his squad an opportunity to impress.
'They can’t all play, the maths doesn’t work,' said Frank. 'So I think over the period I’m here, first I want to win football matches because we’re Chelsea and that’s what’s expected by us and the fans.
'Secondly I want to be part of a process in this period where players have an opportunity if they train well. If they deserve to play they get an opportunity on the pitch and they show what they can do.
'So tomorrow will be an opportunity for players who didn’t play in the Champions League or at the weekend to come in, because it’s a game when we absolutely need freshness and energy.'
Lampard confirmed Kalidou Koulibaly will miss this game as well as the second leg against Real Madrid following the injury that forced him off in the Bernabeu on Wednesday night.
'He won’t be available for either game,' confirmed Lampard. 'It’s a hamstring injury and it will be a matter of weeks rather than days.
'He’s a very good, very experienced player. People talk a lot about our squad but when we haven’t got lots of cover in certain times and obviously the Champions League squad is different to the Premier League squad, of course it’s a disappointment for him and for us, but an opportunity for someone else.
'We carry on without him and hopefully he gets fit as quick as he can.'
N'Golo Kante made just his second start since August in Madrid, having returned from a lengthy injury absence in the Premier League draw with Liverpool a week earlier, and Lampard confirmed he is having to keep a close eye on the Frenchman's fitness as he continues his comeback.
'Having worked with N’Golo before, he’s an incredible player, one of the best I’ve been fortunate enough to work with. I know the positives of having him and the negatives of not, because in my first season here we missed him for some big periods. As an individual player his impact is very clear.
'Off the back of a four-month injury we have to manage him at the same time, because when you have N’Golo fit he’s clearly one of the best midfield players in the world. I think you see in his performances in Madrid and against Liverpool last week that, having just come back from injury, he’s not slowing down. When he plays he always offers massive output and massive quality.'
== Chelsea vs Brighton injury list ==
It remains to be seen whether Carney Chukwuemeka will be able to play a part against Brighton, having not been involved in our last three matches after picking up a knock in training. Armando Broja remains the one player on the long-term injury list as his rehabilitation from cruciate ligament damage continues.
Brighton expect to be without Jeremy Sarmiento and Tariq Lamptey for this game, while Adam Lallana is out until at least next month. However, there is a chance Jakub Moder could return to the Seagulls' squad on Saturday, following a year out with a serious knee injury.
== Chelsea vs Brighton suspension ==
There are no suspensions for either side in this match.
Players who accumulate 10 yellow cards in Premier League matches up to and including our 32nd fixture (Brentford at home) will serve a two-match suspension in the competition.
== Premier League booking list ==
Kovacic 7, C. Gallagher 6, Koulibaly 5, Havertz 4, R. James 4, Mount 4, Cucurella 4,
R. Sterling 4, Azpilicueta 3, T. Chalobah 3, Chilwell 2, W. Fofana 2, Aubameyang 1, Badiashile 1, Enzo 1, L. Hall 1, Kepa 1, Loftus-Cheek 1, E. Mendy 1, Pulisic 1,
Thiago Silva 1, Ziyech 1
== Chelsea vs Brighton referee and VAR ==
Referee: Robert Jones
VAR: Dan Cook
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Serious Lampard ready for ‘special’ Stamford Bridge return
14 APR 2023
Frank Lampard has expressed his excitement at once again returning to the home dugout at Stamford Bridge but insists he will have his ‘serious face’ on against Brighton.
The Blues welcome the Seagulls to west London looking to return to winning ways following defeats on the road to Wolves and Real Madrid in Lampard’s opening two games as caretaker manager.
There have been positives in the performances but, ultimately, they have not produced any points and Lampard is keen to mark his return to SW6 with victory against an impressive Brighton side.
‘I’m delighted to be back and it will never fall short to me how much of an honour it is to be manager of Chelsea,’ Lampard explained.
‘I’ve done the job before for a season and a half, I loved pretty much every minute and I’m happy to be back again now.
‘This place is of course very special to me, I’ve performed here in one way or the other for a long time and I’ve had some amazing times here over many years, but my overriding feeling is absolutely to focus on the job in hand.
‘We have to get wins on the board. Of course, it will be special to be in the home dugout again and I appreciate the support I’m sure I’ll get but I’ll have my serious face on as we try and record three points.’
Roberto De Zerbi, who replaced Graham Potter as Brighton manager earlier this season, will come up against Lampard and our all-time leading scorer has said he has been really impressed by the work of the Italian.
‘Under Roberto they’ve been really good,’ Lampard said of tomorrow’s opponents. ‘They’ve impressed everyone, they’ve played with a certain style and identity and they’re really progressing as a club.
‘Roberto has taken the work Graham did to begin with and taken it on further. They’ve got stability as a club and they’re starting to show that on the pitch too.
‘They’re a really good team, both offensively and defensively, and this is going to be a really tough game for us between the two Real Madrid games.
‘We have to compete with them physically and technically and that’s something I’m really focused on.’
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Lampard confirms keeper choice
15 APR 2023
Ahead of his third game since returning to take charge of the Chelsea team, Frank Lampard has discussed his selection options between the posts and indicated who will be in goal against Brighton on Saturday afternoon.
回到卻爾西執教第三場比賽之前，蘭帕德討論了他的門將選擇，並指出誰將在週六下午對陣布萊頓的比賽中擔任首發門將。
With Edouard Mendy becoming his first-choice goalkeeper during his earlier time as head coach but Kepa Arrizabalaga in that position this season, it is understandable there has been speculation over whether that may change. Lampard gives an update:
愛德華．門迪在蘭帕德擔任主教練的早些時候成為了他的首選門將，而本賽季凱帕一直擔任先發門將，有人猜測這種情況是否會發生改變，這是可以理解的，蘭帕德給出了最新消息：
‘I don’t see any reasons to do anything differently at the moment, with Kepa’s performances and maturity,’ he says.
“鑑於凱帕的表現和成熟度，我認為目前沒有任何理由做出任何改變。” 他說。
‘I’ve maybe matured as a coach as I’ve come back, he has matured as a player. I think he has been in good form and Edou has had a couple of injuries. He is still carrying a small one at the moment so the position as you see it doesn’t change.’
“作為一名教練，回來之後我可能變得更有經驗了，而作為一名球員，他也成熟了。我認為凱帕的狀態很好，而門迪有幾次受傷，現在他還帶有一點傷病，所以首發門將位置不會發生改變。”
Mendy was signed during the September of Lampard’s second season at the helm and was installed straightaway between the posts.
門迪是在蘭帕德執教藍軍第二個賽季的 9 月簽下的，當時他立刻成為了先發門將。
This season he returned from the World Cup with a shoulder injury and in January, had surgery on a fractured finger suffered in training. Those have been factors in limiting the Senegal international to 11 appearances this season. Kepa has played 31 times.
本賽季門迪帶著肩傷從世界盃歸來，1 月時他在訓練中手指骨折，接受了手術。這些因素使得這位塞內加爾國腳本賽季只能出場 11 次，而凱帕出場 31 次。
‘I’m not judging anything on my previous time at the club as opposed to what is in front of me now,’ emphasised Lampard.
“我不會去談上一次執教球隊的事情，我會專注於現在。” 蘭帕德強調。
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以下內容出自 football.london：
Every word Frank Lampard said on Chelsea changes, Koulibaly injury, N'Golo Kante and Aubameyang
By Scott Trotter, Chelsea writer - UPDATED 17:54, 14 APR 2023
．Lack of goals, has that been a bigger problem than you imagined? What are you doing differently?
It's not been a bigger problem, I think I understood it before I came. Trying to address is our job of course. A lot of talk about belief, I've said that word a lot in the last two press conferences. It's work and to replicate on the training pitch and also to have enough urgency in our attacking game that we have numbers in around the box and an idea of how we want to attack. That's part of the work.
．What identity suits these players and do you have time to implement that before such a crucial week?
It's a really good question because in a tight turnaround, the work on a training pitch is not there. We can't work the players physically when you play three games in six days and things like that. Just trying to put the message across about what we want to be and how we want to play but at the moment where games come thick and fast - it's every game, how do we make the best of that?
There are general things I see straight away that I want to work on and want to improve the physical capacity to be aggressive in our game, things like that we I think we need to really step up and that's really normal in a period where you're not where you want to be in terms of results and performance.
The first thing to affect is absolutely performance and hope results follow that. It's important that the lads are focused in this period and it's important that as a Chelsea Football Club player, you understand the expectations and strive for them. I think that's where we're at and I see it in the squad, a desire to do that. Putting it into practice is the thing.
．What role can you play in educating any newcomers - what it means to be a Chelsea player, what it means to win on a consistent basis?
We'll communicate that to them and work towards it. It won't be an overnight process, I've just mentioned the lack of training time and as much as you can have good meetings and an idea, there's nothing better than repeating movements on the pitch. So that's challenging.
In terms of being a Chelsea player and the expectations, it's easily said. It's a process to become a winning team and a winning team by nature. I think there are lots of variables and understanding parts to that of some players who have come into the club and are trying to understand that. Of course, when you come in and results aren't as good as you want, there are different challenges to it.
I'm levelheaded about it. I want to work as hard as I can to get every single improvement we can. It's an interesting job for me because it's different to what I've had before in terms of the short term nature of it. That is my job - to work with everything, myself and the staff, to get those improvements and to take us forward in this period.
．Can you confirm that Enzo Fernandez has extended his contract?
I can't confirm that because I don't know. I've got enough on my plate to analyse everyone's contracts at the club. The only thing I will say is from working with Enzo, he has been a standout character and player for me in this last week in terms of attitude and quality. Even though he's only been here a short time, he's fantastic for the club, for this club going forward and exactly the kind of profile, type of player we're talking about. He needs to be given time to settle as well.
．Have you been through a period like this in your career? What helped you or your team?
I will have been through relative patches like that. Personal moments of not scoring in a run of games, being known as a goalscoring midfielder, or maybe the team having a difficulty in an area, maybe conceding from set-pieces. All of these things I've been here long enough to have all of the extremes of positives and negatives. I understand the situation and the only way to solve it is through hard work and focus.
It sounds boring but I think one of my fortunate things is I was fortunate enough to have a career at this club mainly surrounded by a lot of good things that pushed me on but the main thing that pushed me on was my own desire and willpower. I think anything like that, if it's collective, or individual, it has to be the work process and I'm a big believer that once you do that good things happen. It sounds simple but some things are simple.
．Brighton praised for their project, Chelsea scrutinised for theirs - does it show Chelsea need to get the next appointment right?
I think Brighton is a fantastic model. I think you can track their last five, six, seven years and see good progression from Championship to Premier League, keeping Premier League status moving up. That's their path, Chelsea's path is a different one. A club that has been hugely successful for a long period of time. Maybe a club where there are different transitions of ownerships, players naturally have left, trying to bring in players with an eye for the future.
Look around and see models everywhere. Arsenal two or three years ago and the work they tried to do in the same direction. Everyone was probably judging them, I remember headlines, negative headlines about the club, owner, and manager. Now it's a fantastic model. You have to understand when you're in a process, a bit of a project, that there will be moments where you have to dig in and people will go 'are you doing the right thing or not?'. I don't think it's important for us to focus on too much opinion. We are where we are, that's a reality. At the same time you work towards a standard and we want to get there.
．Even tougher task than you thought?
No. It's the task I thought it would be. I didn't know the detail but I'm an avid watcher of Chelsea. I had an understanding of Chelsea from the outside, as a football person and then when you come in you try not to pre-judge. You want to see what's in front of you when you get the job. I was under no illusion that we came in very quickly to a game after a day of training and then a quarter-final of the Champions League. Game, game, game and some tough games to come in the Premier League. I like the challenge of that. The challenge is what I expected and we'll hit it head-on.
．How vital is a win?
It's vital. I guess they all are. We're not getting the results we want. You work towards the idea of turning a corner to make progress because of course things can affect confidence. It doesn't take away from the difficulty of the game. As vital as they all are, we'll try our best to get the right result because we know what that might bring which is an uplift of confidence and feeling when Real Madrid come so quickly afterwards.
．What role will Aubameyang have and can he be the number 9 you need?
We'll see in that one. I don't want to go position specific. What I do want to say is, the players have to feel when they train and when they turn up for training and how they prepare, the competitive nature in the squad to get a place in the team needs to be high in every position. Auba is a bit like everyone in the squad, starting before or not starting so much, everyone needs to compete in training and show they're worthy of their place. History says he has a fantastic goalscoring record. So, we'll see.
．A lot said about the ownership's ambitions, what have you made of what they've said?
I've been impressed because, I'm not sure if ambitious is the right word, but they are ambitious. I think that obviously needs to be in the right direction. They have a clear vision and people working within the club, a clear vision of where want to get to. I'm very impressed with really strong intentions and involvement. Collaboration, talking and working forward to try and get somewhere is really important in the modern day. I think things should be in a line from top to bottom with communication and there's certainly a lot of that. I've been very impressed with that.
There has to be an understanding that this is a long-term project and idea. When you put it in a big scheme of things that has to be understood. There may be difficult steps in that process. The important thing is then that us, people at the club work really hard to keep going in the right direction. I get that feeling from the top of the club.
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