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Chelsea boss Frank Lampard criticise team after 4th loss in 5 games

Chelsea suffer fourth defeat in five EPL games, Merson says they are 'easy to play against'

Frank Lampard urged his Chelsea players to prove they have the courage to cope with adversity after Bournemouth snatched a shock 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge last Saturday.

Lampard's side were beaten for the fourth time in their last five English Premier League games as Dan Gosling netted a VAR-reviewed winner with just six minutes left.

It was a bitter blow for Lampard after Chelsea once again failed to deal with a team intent on defending deep and counter-attacking, reported AFP.

Lampard believes the root cause of Chelsea's malaise is their inability to kill teams off, and he puts that down to a lack of conviction in the final third.

Questioning the personality of a young team on the rocks for the first time following their fine start in his first season in charge, Lampard said: "Now we have the reality. If we are not at our best, if players can't find the quality to beat teams that are organised, then we have to find another way...

"The fans shouldn't be excited if we're playing 10 balls across our back four. That's not a team I want to manage.

"Some responsibility is on the players to take the ball and have the balls to excite the fans.

"We have to have some personality. When a team wants to defend against you, that's another test. We haven't done well with that."

Chelsea have scored only 11 goals at home this season and Lampard acknowledged his players are struggling to deal with the pressure that mounts the longer a game goes on without a goal for his team.

He said: "With that comes nerves and stress in the team and the stadium. We need urgency in our play, transfer the ball quickly, get at people, do things that are positive, don't play safe. We generally play too safe during games."

Ex-Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright believes one reason behind Chelsea's inability to create against more defensive teams is that they do not get the ball to their pass master.

JORGINHO'S PASSING ABILITY

He said on the BBC: "With Jorginho and the calibre of the player he is, when you play it into him, he does this (pass through the lines) and they're away...

"Just play it into Jorginho. I think that Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham, (Callum) Hudson-Odoi when he came on, they were starved of the ball.

"In the end, I think Chelsea were a victim of themselves.

"They didn't give it to the players that can pass the ball.

Fellow former Arsenal and England man Paul Merson, meanwhile, believes the Blues are "easy to play against".

He said on Sky Sports: "I watch Chelsea a lot and I think if you can get through the first 20 minutes against Chelsea, their confidence goes.

"There are a few young kids in the team, and I just think they're easy to play against...

"The way they want to play, it seems so easy to play against and get into a block.

"The longer the game went on... Bournemouth were the ones who looked like they would break and score...

"They will have to go into the market. Tammy Abraham didn't have a kick today. I don't think this squad will get into the top four."

The EPL's all-time top scorer Alan Shearer feels that with their transfer ban lifted, Chelsea should be in the market for a goalscorer and a centre-back.

He said on the BBC: "They haven't even replaced the goals from (Eden) Hazard and also in the centre-half position.

"I know they have a couple of young lads - (Fikayo) Tomori - but they just lack something in that position."

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