Frank Lampard is concerned that Chelsea’s young squad might struggle under new manager Enzo Maresca, especially after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Crystal Palace on Sunday.
The Blues had shown their best form with a 6-0 victory over Wolves last weekend but were brought back to reality with a 2-1 loss to Servette in the Europa Conference League during midweek.
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Their inconsistency continued at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, where Maresca’s team took the lead through Nicolas Jackson, only to be held to a draw after Eberechi Eze’s second-half goal.
With a new coach and several new signings yet to fully integrate, Lampard urged fans to be patient, warning that the team’s youth and inexperience may result in more inconsistent performances.
‘Inconsistency will be there – young players bring that,’ the former Chelsea midfielder said on Match of the Day 2.
‘If you look at moments in the game where Chelsea are on top, maybe they aren’t clinical enough and then you can always feel the game can swing on them.
‘You do wonder if that bit of experience through the spine of the team isn’t there and you’ll have to wait for that but there’s certainly a lot of talent in there.’
Despite that, however, Lampard remained optimistic in the direction of the team under Maresca and believes the club have turned a corner from the negative atmosphere that was all-encompassing in his ill-fated second stint in the dugout.
‘In terms of where they are at, Maresca mentioned today that they aren’t the same team that won the Champions League and he is right,’ Lampard added.
‘I was there 18 months ago and at that point, it was a really low point from my point of view because it didn’t feel like the club that it had been which was so successful for 20 years.
‘A lot of that was the environment and getting that right. I feel like they are on an upward curve but there will be good days and bad days because of the squad.
‘But there is a lot of talent and if they can keep improving, especially at the top end of the pitch, they can give teams a lot of problems.’
The Blues will look to get back to winning ways after the international break when they travel down to the south coast to face Bournemouth.
