For many, Chelsea's season was over as soon as the final whistle went at Stamford Bridge against Real Madrid. Little was possible to achieve in the league and the Champions League dream was over for the foreseeable future.
Understandably, when you're used to competing for titles and trophies, being destined to a bottom half of the table finish is difficult to stomach or get excited about for supporters. Jeopardy has already been suffered, and there is little to inspire enthusiasm as three difficult matches await.
Even Manchester City may already have a Premier League title sewn up before a ball is kicked should Arsenal drop points against Nottingham Forest. Frank Lampard has little concern for the title race either way.
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However, Chelsea sit at a pivotal point. They will soon have a new permanent manager and any number of players could be verging on their last appearance for the club. The west London side need to cut down numbers, some stars may want to leave but most will still be playing to secure their future in one way or another. Lampard hopes his players can use such motivation.
He said: “No they are not [dead games] - absolutely. I think it is very important that they take that. 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, and 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. Simply as that, in terms of performance.”
The Blues have a number of players whose positions will come under scrutiny. The likes of Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic have been linked with moves to Premier League rivals, and they will not be the only ones. Chelsea will hope to avoid strengthening their rivals but have had to shed players due to their depth before.
This weekend's opponent Kevin De Bruyne went through that process before departing Stamford Bridge in 2014. Lampard identified two characteristics that have helped the Belgian midfielder along, but did not confirm whether the Blues would have to sell to their rivals.
He said: "I don’t know the answer to that. That’s a club answer. All I know is that Kevin is a fantastic player. In that situation, we were a bit stacked in that area. Eden was here, Mata was here, Schurrle was here, and to be fair, I remember Kevin had a real desire and hunger to play. I don’t know personally what happened between him, the club and the manager at the time. I could respect the fact that he wanted to show the level of talent that he has got. He has gone from strength to strength. That probably undervalues his incredible rise as a player. I love watching him play as a midfielder to find the assists, goals and with his range of passing and weight of passing is, if not the best we’ve seen in the league, it is right near the very top."
As much as that can offer inspiration to any player, if Pep Guardiola's side lift the Premier League trophy on Sunday, Lampard hopes his younger players can look deeper for what they should learn.
“The only inspiration there should be is what it’s taken Manchester City to get where they are," said Lampard. "Not the moment of lifting the cup it’s about Kevin De Bryune’s journey, Haaland’s journey, Gundogan’s and Stones’ journey. A player has to understand the cup lifting moment comes from what happens down the years.
“Against the odds, whatever it is, how hard they work. That 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."
Lampard has been keen to address his squad's lack of capacity to provide an intense opposition and to impose physicality on a game since he arrived at the club. It is a minimum for a side hoping to be successful.
He said: “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 the 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."
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