There was a murmur of dissent at the defeat by Manchester United and the excuses for a mediocre team will soon run out
Just briefly, for no more than a couple of seconds, there was a murmur of dissent directed at Frank Lampard by the home crowd. It came midway through the second half as Olivier Giroud was brought on for Michy Batshuayi. Up went the ironic roar: why hadn’t the French World Cup winner been brought on sooner? But then by that stage Chelsea fans were greeting most things, particularly decisions by the referee Anthony Taylor that went their way, with ironic cheers. If a VAR call had favoured them, or Batshuayi had scored a goal, the roof would have come off.
Still, the moment seemed telling, in part because the question is so obvious – Giroud may be 33, and he may have a history of missing big chances in the biggest games, but why has he been limited to just 304 minutes of football this season when those favoured by Lampard have been so erratic in front of goal of late? – and in part because it suggested Chelsea’s patience with Lampard may not be infinite.
Written by Jonathan Wilson
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/feb/18/chelsea-fans-patience-with-frank-lampard-not-infinite-dissent-manchester-united under the title “Chelsea fans show that patience with Lampard may not be infinite | Jonathan Wilson”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
