Chelsea's inconsistent start to life under Frank Lampard continued on Thursday as they fell to an abysmal 2-0 defeat at the hands of Southampton.
After a run of six consecutive victories, Chelsea have won just twice in their last seven Premier League games, losing all five of the remaining fixtures against Manchester City, West Ham United, Everton, Bournemouth and now Southampton.
They currently sit fourth in the league table, having racked up 32 points so far. However, that tally is actually the lowest return from any manager in their first 19 games since owner Roman Abramovich arrived in 2003.
It is two points less than both André Villas-Boas and Rafa Benítez managed in 2011 and 2013 respectively, while former boss Maurizio Sarri managed a total of 40 points from his first 19 matches.
Leading the way is Antonio Conte, whose side earned 49 points during the first half of the 2016/17 season. That is three more than José Mourinho, who picked up 46 during his first spell in charge in 2004.
Lampard’s Chelsea record... pic.twitter.com/JdbXKD0ilP
— Tim Nichols (@TimNicholsDM) December 27, 2019
The numbers certainly do not make for pretty reading for Lampard, although there is an acceptance that he inherited perhaps the weakest Chelsea side in recent memory.
Having lost Eden Hazard, the Blues were forced to turn to academy graduates while they waited for their transfer ban to be overturned, and few expected Chelsea to actually be so high in the table at this point in the season.
While there is an argument to suggest that Chelsea have perhaps overachieved so far, there is no denying that the Blues have been incredibly disappointing far too often this year.
Their home form has been nothing short of abysmal, and the lack of creativity has cost Lampard on a number of occasions. However, Lampard has almost been working with his hands tied as a result of the transfer ban.
Fortunately, with that now overturned, the boss will be able to bolster his squad in January. Some of the weaker members of the squad are expected to be moved on, allowing Chelsea to pursue some big signings with their sizeable transfer budget.
The Blues have a six-man shortlist of potential attacking reinforcements, including Jadon Sancho and Timo Werner, so fans will certainly be expecting to see an improvement from Lampard's side in the final 19 games of the campaign.
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Source : 90min