Frank Lampard is hoping that being dropped will help Kepa Arrizabalaga to rediscover his best form for Chelsea. It has been a difficult start to the season for the Blues goalkeeper after he was dropped following a poor run of form in the Chelsea FC goal under Lampard.
The Spanish shot-stopper has struggled to produce consistent performances and has looked nervous at times during an up and down season for the 25-year-old.
Lampard has opted to play Willy Caballero in recent games in Kepa’s place but the Spaniard will clearly be hoping to win back a regular spot in the first team in the next few months of the season. Speaking in an interview quoted by the Evening Standard, Lampard said: “That is the reality of life, of football, of our careers.
“Everyone has these things and you can’t pull the wool over their eyes or be too sweet about it, because it is what it is. The only thing I ever found that got me back into the team or through a moment was hard work on the training ground. “If you are going to sulk and if I ever did sulk, I would quickly try to readdress that myself and realise that I can only affect one thing, and that’s how I train to be ready to play.
“I was fortunate as a player here because I played a lot of games. Probably in my early 30s it slightly changed, and at the time I didn’t like it, I remember the feeling. But then you have to be a teammate, and you have to be part of the club and you have to accept it, and sometimes you have to find another way, and understand that things are slightly different.
“That was just my story, everybody is slightly different , but with the competition in squads now I do think you have to be always aware that if your standards drop or if the manager chooses for whatever reason, and that can happen, and handle it in the right way.
“I don’t expect smiley faces when people get dropped, I just expect reactions, I expect support of the teammates there.
“It is not easy, I’m saying this as a manager, I know as a player I was not brilliant at this myself, but from where I am sitting now I try and push that, and I think sometimes it can be something that makes you stronger. Most people get it at some point in their career. So it is what it is.”
Chelsea FC will return to Premier League action this weekend when they take on Tottenham at home on Saturday afternoon. The Blues will then switch their focus back to Champions League affairs and their home clash with Bayern Munich on Tuesday night next week.