Lampard cautious but not afraid ahead of Bayern test

Frank Lampard does not want Chelsea to throw in the towel versus Bayern Munich tonight.

“We’ve got players with Champions League experience in this group, as well as younger players in the early stages of their careers, particularly in the Champions League,” Lampard said. “They have to understand why I keep talking about the levels going up, and what the mindset levels are. A big part of my job is to explain to the players that over two legs we need to be at our maximum.

“Going into the game we must make sure every box is ticked in both games. We can’t get caught up in game moments. After the game, we will probably suffer. Bayern Munich are an incredible side with the ball. They’ve got some really talented players who keep the ball and use the ball well. If we have to suffer, we have to suffer. That’s our job over the next two games.”

I felt if you look at our recent form in the league, we were playing well,” he said. “It’s difficult to keep saying that. A lot of parts of our game are good but the important parts of the game, which is in the final third, scoring goals, finishing off what you’ve created and then making sure we don’t concede with absolute focus, were slightly short. It was clear we were slightly short.

“If you have 20 shots in a game and don’t score, and the other team have two and score, and that’s recurring, then that’s an issue. When I wrote that down, it felt like a mindset thing. If you’re not scoring, it can be a mixture of many things. It can be confidence. It could also maybe be something that’s slack, slightly, or how you prepare through the week.

“It was just about being honest. The beauty of the meeting was everyone felt the same. I’ve been in meetings where people can’t find the reason – even if the managers says what it is and players disagree. But I’ve got a really good group. The reaction to the meeting, and the reaction against Tottenham, was spot on. What we can’t do now is forget what made us beat Spurs. That was a start for us on Saturday. We need to keep going.”

Lampard captained the side when Chelsea upset the odds by beating Bayern on penalties in the 2012 Champions League final. He is not concerned if they are the underdogs again. “My job is just to prepare for the game and look at the opponent, see their strengths, see our strengths and ask can we find weaknesses there?” he said. “I understand if people do call us the underdogs because Bayern Munich are so strong. Maybe we don’t have that experience but these things are there to change. It’s there to turn to turn it around, to overcome being the underdog. Those are the best stories in sport.”

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