Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has been left frustrated by Graham Potter’s decision to leave Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang out of the club’s Champions League squad.
That is according to LondonWorld ahead of Chelsea’s trip to Real Madrid for the first-leg of their UCL quarter-final clash.
Lampard returned to Stamford Bridge last week following Graham Potter’s sacking and will serve as interim manager until the end of the campaign.
His major task will be to try and win the Champions League which would not only mean a trophy but also qualification for next year’s competition, with a spot in the Premier League top four unlikely given that the club are 11th in the table.
And though Lampard does have a talented team to work with, he is reported to be bemoaning the absence of Aubameyang whom Potter dropped from the team in January.
The 33-year-old was named in Chelsea’s Champions League squad at the start of the campaign by Thomas Tuchel but ahead of the knockout stage changes were made to accommodate the influx of January signings at Stamford Bridge.
Per UEFA regulations, only three new players could be added with Potter choosing to bring in Joao Felix, Enzo Fernandez and Mudryk, snubbing Badiashile, Noni Madueke and David Datro Fofana.
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One more name needed to be cut and Potter chose Aubameyang who has struggled since joining from Barcelona last summer, scoring just three goals in 19 appearances.
That decision has left Chelsea without a No.9 to play in the Champions League, frustrating Lampard who would have liked to have used the former Arsenal skipper, even just as an impact sub.
Aubameyang came off the bench to no avail for the last 23 minutes of Chelsea’s 1-0 loss to Wolves in Lampard’s first game back in charge of the London side.
Instead, the interim manager will have to rely on Felix, Kai Havertz and Raheem Sterling for goals, though finding the back of the net has been a big struggle for the forwards this campaign.
