N'Golo Kante is quick to pass judgement on Frank Lampard's second stint at Chelsea.

N'Golo Kante is quick to pass judgement on Frank Lampard's second stint at Chelsea.

N'Golo Kante believes Chelsea has the ideal coach in the dugout to save their season despite losing to Real Madrid 2-0 in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal match. 

Frank Lampard will need to restore Chelsea's confidence in front of goal if he is to complete his "mission" to preserve the team's season.

crisis group Chelsea has gone 374 minutes without scoring; this is the first time in 30 years that they have gone four games without scoring. Lampard is now tasked with inspiring a side devoid of confidence ahead of their match against Brighton, who handed them one of their worst defeats—a 4-1 thrashing at the AmEx—of their miserable season back in October.

The club's lone naturally born centre forward, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, has fallen so far out of favour that he isn't even listed in their Champions League squad. While Raheem Sterling's confidence is in tatters, Kai Havertz and Joao Felix have both been asked to play as false nines.

N'Golo Kante, though, is adamant that they have the right player and enough talent in the squad to turn things around despite the glaring lack of firepower.

A European spot is unlikely given that they have dropped into the second half of the standings and will need to defeat Real Madrid by three goals in order to avenge their loss to them in the Bernabeu during the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal.

With only eight Premier League games remaining and the prospect that next Tuesday may be their final European match for a while, Kante nevertheless feels they can still turn things around this season.

Kante responded, "I think he came here for a mission and is trying his best to achieve a better end to the season," when asked if Lampard can regain confidence.

"Now that we are all working together towards this goal, we are still optimistic that this season will bring us something. We are confident that we can still develop and produce results, but it must begin with confidence.

When Kante played at the Bernabeu, Chelsea's midfield received some much-needed talent and began to resemble a top-tier team.

The 14-time European champions could have won more easily, but it was another poor night. Chelsea now faces the possibility of missing out on membership in Europe.

The last time they failed to qualify for the Champions League was in 2018. They also ended 10th in 2016 and won the championship the following year without the interference of European football.

However, the financial cost—missing out on up to £100 million in prize money—could significantly damage owner Todd Boehly. In addition, after their massive transfer spending binges, they might have to hold a fire sale to balance the books.

Kante is adamant that Chelsea can still win the match, though. Of course, the outcome is disappointing, but the second leg is at home, and we have to have faith that we can accomplish something exceptional. We must be well-prepared for it," he stressed.

"We still have time to make a major difference and do something extraordinary. In this team, we have huge players with experience. But first, there is the weekend game. We need to start growing and have faith in order to continue making progress.

Amazingly, N'Golo Kante has been benched by as many managers in his last four Chelsea games.

Unbelievably, Kante's season-long injury history means that each of his past four matches—including the one against Real Madrid—have been played under a different manager.

Kante played under Thomas Tuchel in August, under Graham Potter after returning from a lengthy absence, in Bruno Saltor's lone game as interim manager against Liverpool, and finally under Lampard at the Bernabeu.

Being such a crucial player, his injury absence has undoubtedly contributed to Chelsea's dismal play and results this season. He claims, however, that he is now fit and prepared to contribute for the remainder of the campaign.

"I feel better now, I feel good, and I'm ready to play," he continued. Although it has been frustrating, I think I can now support us for the remainder of the year.