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‘I was surprised’ – Frank Lampard’s baffling Chelsea selection shocked Brentford boss Thomas Frank.
Thomas Frank acknowledged that the starting lineup for Chelsea’s 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday “surprised” him.
Chelsea lost their sixth game in a row, all under temporary manager Lampard, thanks to own goals from Cesar Azpilicueta and Bryan Mbeumo.
Raheem Sterling was the only striker on the pitch, and the coach used a back five and four central midfielders, identical to the lineup that lost to Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Brentford manager Frank was taken aback by Chelsea’s defensive strategy, particularly at Stamford Bridge, but he was glad to see Chelsea retreating.
“We were pleased they showed us so much respect. I was surprised. I respect every team, we don’t fear any team,” he told the media after the match.
“We talked about the team when we saw the line-up. It’s still Chelsea, still Stamford Bridge, still unbelievable players. We’ve tried to add layers and work hard on the different systems and principles and the way we were in control of the game was very good.”
Lampard did make amends during the half-time break and shifted to a back-four and also introduced Mykhailo Mudryk and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for Connor Gallagher and Azpilicueta.
However, those changes had little impact on the match and Mbeumo’s 78th-minute strike dashed all hopes of a possible comeback.
Chelsea will be back in action on Tuesday in the London derby against Arsenal, while Brentford will host Nottingham Forest on Saturday.