Chelsea star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could be the main beneficiary of Chelsea's decision to bring in Frank Lampard on an interim management basis until the end of the season. Under Graham Potter, the 33-year-old was essentially frozen out of the squad appearing for just 812 minutes in Potter's reign at Stamford Bridge which also saw him omitted from the Blues' Champions League knockout stage squad, despite a promising start.
Goals against Crystal Palace and two against AC Milan in the Champions League looked to place Aubameyang in a great position to be a consistent starter under Potter. However, his form took a downward turn towards the end of 2022 and he never really recovered.
For Lampard's first game in temporary charge, Aubameyang was back on the bench and was introduced with Chelsea in need of a goal just beyond the hour mark. Not being included in the Champions League squad saw him miss the Real Madrid game, but Lampard hinted that he could be set for a prominent role this weekend.
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"We'll see in that one. I don't want to go position specific," Lampard said when asked about Aubameyang's role and if he can be Chelsea's talisman. "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."
Further hinting at possible changes for the weekend, Lampard added: "Tomorrow [Saturday] will be an opportunity for some players who didn't play in the Champions League, possibly didn't play at the weekend, to come in because it's a game where we absolutely need freshness and energy as well. So every opportunity, they should take."
After only signing a one-year contract at Stamford Bridge last summer, an end-of-season exit looks inevitable with Aubameyang turning 34 in the summer. However, the coming six weeks could be a chance for the former Arsenal to show he is still capable of playing at the highest level and also prove a point to Lampard and those at Chelsea who doubted him.
“I hope that his ambition is to prove a point and show Frank Lampard and the Chelsea fans what he is all about," Florent Malouda told ICE 36. "It was not easy for him because he joined the club to be reunited with Thomas Tuchel but they didn’t get to spend much time together.
"That would have been difficult for him, but he shouldn’t feel sorry about that, he should see every game as an opportunity to prove a point, to prove that they were wrong to put him on the bench, they were wrong to remove him from the Champions League squad and I will show my talent. I will earn the trust of Frank and show to the fans that I am good enough to play for this club.”
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