A number of Chelsea fans questioned Frank Lampard’s decision to bring on Ross Barkley in the Blues’ defeat this evening.
Lampard is a joke, how do you bring on Barkley when we need a goal
— Magatshana Dingilizwe Ntuli (@Magatshana) January 18, 2020
As noted by @ChelseaFC on Twitter, the manager’s first substitution in the 0-1 loss at Newcastle saw him introduce the 26-year-old in place of Mason Mount midway through the second half when the teams were level.
Mount completed four key passes and had a passing success rate of 88.6% during his 68 minutes on the pitch at St James’ Park, although only two players in the Blues’ starting line-up had fewer than his 50 touches (as per WhoScored).
While Barkley had 30 touches despite playing just 22 minutes, the substitute didn’t manage to get a shot off against the Magpies and has yet to contribute to a goal in the Premier League this season.
Lampard’s decision to introduce Barkley met with opposition from these Chelsea fans on Twitter.
However, some believing that he should have instead brought on Mateo Kovacic, who despite having a goal and three assists in the league in 2019/20 was left on the bench for the entire game, as had been the case against Burnley last week.