Frank Lampard promised Chelsea will be back after Real Madrid effectively capped off a dismal season for his side with a 2-0 win to eliminate them from the Champions League.
Lampard’s team fell to two goals from Real striker Rodrygo to exit the tournament in the quarter-finals, giving up their last dim hope of qualifying next year.
Chelsea, 11th in the Premier League, facing a first season without European competition since 2016-17, looked a shadow of the team that were crowned European champions less than two years ago against Real.
Chelsea threatened either side of half time with glorious chances for Marc Cucurella, who saw his close range shot from Reece James cleared by Thibaut Courtois, and N’Golo Kante whose shot was blocked by Eder Militao.
Those chances might have turned the momentum and the draw in Chelsea’s favour, but throughout the game Lampard’s side failed to display enough cohesion in their attacks, nor discipline in defense, to match the European champions and threaten their reign .
Chelsea are facing the reality that there will be no European football next season after being knocked out by Real Madrid
The Blues worked hard and threatened Real Madrid for over an hour, but were beaten by the better side
Todd Boehly’s Chelsea stumble from one defeat to the next on yet another bad night
Instead, Rodrygo’s two goals simply confirmed what had been evident for most of the quarter-final. Despite the £500m-plus Todd Boehly-sanctioned transfer fee, Chelsea are now well behind the team they were so close to at the same stage of this tournament last season.
“For 60 minutes of the game I think you probably saw why I chose the line-up,” said Lampard. “We had great energy, great organization. We have caused Real Madrid many problems.
“The only thing missing from our game was a goal. We had really good chances to do that. But at this level, if you’re in a strong moment, the first half was a strong moment for us.
“Our game was exactly how I wanted it. One or two goals in those 60 minutes will change its face. We didn’t. At this level, (Real) are so clinical. You saw the result.
“The reality is we’ve been lucky enough to have tremendous success for 20 years. Many clubs in the Premier League would dream of our success in the Champions League and as winners of the Premier League.
“If this is a year where we’re not where we want to be, and there are probably reasons for the transition. A few years ago we didn’t make it into the Champions League for the following year and we won the Premier League. We can’t be too short-sighted about it.
“People will get a lot out of this season for Chelsea because we’ve had so much success.
The reality is this club is going to come back. It’s going to take work. It might take a bit of process. I think the fans appreciate the performance today stated.’
It is now four of Lampard’s four defeats since he took temporary charge of the team following the sacking of Graham Potter on April 2.
They have scored just one goal in their last five games – under three different managers – and are in serious danger of finishing outside the top half of the Premier League for the first time since 1996.
Lampard defended the little progress made this season since Boehly bought the club, pointing to the time it can take for new Premier League players to adapt.
“The motivation has to be to play for Chelsea,” he said. “There are some players who may be quite new here and are getting used to the club. That’s not easy. We’ve seen some of the greatest players in the Premier League take some time when they first arrive.
“Maybe there are reasons with some of our players where there’s a bit of a transition. But in terms of motivation, you play for Chelsea.
“There is individual motivation throughout the team and then there is the collective. We absolutely have to be competitive in everything we do every day.”
Frank Lampard insisted the club will return to its former glory, but it will take time
The former Chelsea player pointed to the club’s success over the past 20 years and said they can reach that pinnacle again.
Real boss Carlo Ancelotti said he thought Chelsea were causing problems for his team during the first half and at one point it looked like they could salvage the tie.
He praised goalkeeper Courtois for his crucial intervention against Cucurella late in the period that saw Real take control after the break.
“His save at the end of the first half was incredible,” said Ancelotti.
That could have changed the dynamics of the second half.
Reaching 0-0 at half time was very important. Chelsea’s intensity in the first half, they couldn’t have kept that up for 90 minutes.
“It was a complicated game as we predicted. Especially in the first half, Chelsea gave everything. They have caused us many problems. Courtois saved us. We kept the 0-0 until the break. In the second half Chelsea lost their intensity and we got a better control of the game.’