Frank Lampard says it was "nice." In losing to Arsenal, Chelsea received exactly what they deserved.
The Blues' losing streak in all competitions now stands at six games.
The 3-1 loss to Arsenal on Tuesday night at the Emirates extended Chelsea's losing streak to six games in all competitions, and interim manager Frank Lampard criticized his squad for being "too nice" to their opponents.
After just 34 minutes, Arsenal had a comfortable and well-deserved 3-0 lead thanks to a brace from Martin Odegaard and goals from Gabriel Jesus; even though the Blues responded with a goal in the second half through Noni Madueke, the damage had already been done.
Lampard has lost all six of his matches in command since returning to Stamford Bridge to take over for outgoing manager Graham Potter through the remainder of the season, which has resulted in Chelsea's terrible season, which has the Blues languishing in 12th place in the Premier League table.
According to Lampard, "the first-half performance was not adequate in any way." "We were too pleasant to play against; we were passive, nice off the ball, and we didn't play the defensive plays we discussed before the game.
"We didn't close the gap between the lines, we didn't line up as much as we needed to, we didn't apply pressure to the ball, and we didn't make contact with Arsenal players.
On the ball the same, short passes, playing to position, no playing longer, no running forward. Things we discussed, and if you play that way, you'll get what you deserve.
After the break, Chelsea did get better, but any dreams of a comeback from a team that had only managed one goal in their previous seven games always seemed remote.
"Maybe there were some things I said at half time, which to be fair, I had said before the game," Lampard remarked. "If you don't get the fundamentals correct, tactical considerations, like as whether to play a back-four or a back-five, are irrelevant.
So we improved on the fundamentals a little bit and became more dynamic. We made a few good chances and scored a goal as a result.
"They are minor improvements, but when you arrive at a situation like this, that can't be from here until the very end.
"If you didn't train and do that on Wednesday and Thursday, you won't do it on Saturday or whatever gameday you want to talk about. It takes time for those things to stop being who you are as a group, and we are currently witnessing that.
Chelsea still has five games left to play, with their next one being a trip to Bournemouth on Saturday.
