It really hasn’t gone well for Frank Lampard in his second spell at Chelsea so far.
The former midfielder saw his Blues side torn to shreds at times at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, and it’s a wonder that Real Madrid only walked away with a 2-0 victory.
If the Blues happen to score first at Stamford Bridge in the second leg, it could provide them with the impetus that they need to go on and win the game over two legs, but that seems unlikely at present.
They’ll certainly need to tighten up defensively after the first leg saw Los Blancos pepper the Chelsea goal with 10 shots on target, a stat that might’ve given Lampard a real sense of deja vu.
10 – Tonight was the first time Chelsea have faced 10+ shots on target in a game (10 in total) since August 2019 vs Liverpool (11) in the second game of Frank Lampard's first spell as manager, with tonight the second game of his second spell. Repeat. pic.twitter.com/I2OMCUV3Mu
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 12, 2023
Wednesday night’s game was his second back in the hot seat for the Blues.
Coincidentally, in the second game of his first spell in charge of the club, he also conceded at least 10 shots on target to the opposition, which on that occasion was Liverpool.
That game was the last time the feat occurred which if anything tells us that Lampard has learned precisely nothing.
Both in his first spell at Chelsea and during his time at Everton, he showed his shortcomings as a defensive coach.
If he doesn’t want to get knocked out of the Champions League at the first time of asking and end the Premier League season in ignominy, he needs to come up with a plan quickly.