Frank Lampard has hinted at his dissatisfaction with some of his Chelsea players’ effort as his side have little to play for towards the end of the season.
The Blues face a trip to face Manchester City, who could lift the Premier League title with a win, at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are 11th in the Premier League and can only finish as high as 10th or as low as 15th ahead of their last three matches, meaning there’s no prospect of qualifying for Europe or being relegated.
After overseeing six defeats, a draw and just one win, Lampard admits that only some of his players are showing the necessary fight for their futures.
The interim boss told reporters: “I think if you are a player there are two ways you can look at it. You can go, don’t fancy that because it is going to be too challenging, or you go no, no I’m going to show individually in my own way what I can do in a game, to show.
“And since I have been here some of the players I can say will certainly do that. The other ones I want to see whether they want to show. Simple as that, in terms of performance.”
The 44-year-old has challenged his players to raise their level now the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino nears, adding: “Whatever their motivation is, whether it is to impress an incoming manager, whether to impress another club they might be moving on to, if that is the motivation they need then they should take that and use that.
“Because these are three really tough games, three against the top four, two of them away from home coming up, starting with City.”
Chelsea may see Man City lift the title on Sunday or they could even be doing a guard of honour should Arsenal lose away at Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening.
Lampard believes being in close quarters to the champions who will go on to compete for the Champions League and FA Cup should serve as a reminder of the work his players need to put in.
He added: “The only inspiration there should be is what it’s taken City to get where they are. We should be respectful on the day of the game.
“It’s not the moment of lifting the cup, it’s about - Kevin De Bruyne’s journey, [Erling] Haaland’s journey, [Ilkay] Gundogan’s and [John] Stones’ journey.
“A player has to understand the cup-lifting moment comes from what happens down the years. Against the odds, their team clearly works hard. When one player stops working hard another one steps in.
“That’s what the players have to understand. The trophy lift is something to be respectful of. Understanding why they are lifting it is another. They have to take it on board. I have been drumming it in.
“All down the corridors here at this training ground are all the pictures of people lifting trophies over 20 years and before. They have to understand that trophy lifting is the culmination of everything you do at the weekend and through the week.
“From how you prepare, how you train, how you turn up. Training at a level to transfer it onto the pitch. Getting that collectively right is why you then get the pictures on those walls. That’s the main thing.
“The tactics and finer details are not relevant until that first bit is there. I have just watched The Last Dance again.
“Talk about people’s legacy and glory but behind the scenes it’s what people have done to get there that is the reality. And there is a lot of failure on the way to success.”
