Lampard on Kante ‘setback’, admiring Sheffield United, possible exits & the Chelsea player loved by team-mates
Frank Lampard spoke about a number of issues at a news conference on Friday ahead of this weekend’s match against Sheffield United. Here’s some of what the Blues boss had to say.
On N’Golo Kante
“N’Golo Kante is not fit. It’s a continuation of his ankle problem.
“He won’t travel with the French squad either. I had a conversation with (France boss) Didier Deschamps and we both agreed it was the best thing for him. We’ll try to get him fit over the (international) break.
“Of course it’s a setback. But my focus has come to making sure that he’s OK because he’s had four years of constant football at an incredibly high level – high energy level and output level.
“We certainly have to get it (his recovery) right. It’s just the right thing to do. Then we’ll have a strong squad with strong numbers in midfield.
“We must cope with it. We have to be strong as a squad and we should hopefully show that.”
On Pedro and Antonio Rudiger
“Pedro is not fit. Hopefully he should be fit on the other side of the international break as well.
“Rudiger is going to play in the Under-23s tonight – hopefully for the final time in terms of getting his proper match fitness.”
On Mason Mount’s England call-up
“We’re delighted for Mason. It’s great recognition. He had it at Derby and unfortunately got injured and missed out. I’m delighted for him after the start he’s had to the season.
“Everybody must keep their feet on the ground to a degree – he obviously first and foremost. And I think he will, because it’s only the start for him.
“I’ve got full confidence that he can take the responsibility that will come with it and keep working, because that’s what’s important from now.”
On Tammy Abraham
“There’s competition up front and he’s had a good start – two goals last week – and hopefully it (an England call-up) is a matter of time, but that’s obviously Gareth Southgate’s choice.
“His character and how he dealt with the situation was brilliant, in terms of the Twitter nonsense.
“He’s the person that dealt with it first hand and has to rise above it, which is not easy. He certainly did that in his response.
“He has this character which is enthusiastic and is a people person. The players love him. He trains with a smile on his face but also a work ethic.
“In terms of what I see, in terms of reacting to that and the competition for places and trying to get in to the first 11, I can’t complain. He’s been brilliant.
“That must stay and improve all the time now. Two goals are not make or break. That’s just a start. And I have a feeling he is that kind of character. He’s had a taste and he needs to push on.
“There’s competition up front and I’m not playing young players just for the sake of it.
“Tammy’s playing at the minute because he deserves it but he’ll have to continue deserving it.”
On the Champions League draw
“I saw reports that all the English teams seemingly had pretty good draws. There never is an easy draw in the Champions League.
“One team (Ajax) were semi-finalists last year. Valencia are a very strong team and Lille are another strong team.
“There’s certainly no walkover at all. Far from it. Quality teams. We’ll have to be fully on-guard and at our best to get through the group because it’s a strong group across the board.”
On Sheffield United
“They’ve started well. I was hugely impressed with them last season and of course the job that Chris Wilder has done there.
“I look forward to going up against him and against a good team who seemingly, like Norwich last week, have stuck to their principles and will give teams in this league a lot of problems.
“From watching their first games, there’s not just a tactical edge to them, there’s also a spirit about their team which I like.”
On whether Tiemoue Bakayoko and Kenedy will leave
“It’s a possibility. We are getting to the point now where the window is closing soon and I’m pretty clear on where my squad is.
“We have to see how they both develop in terms of Bakayoko and Kenedy, for sure. We’ll see how it goes.”
On wanting his first home win
“We need to win games here. We’ve been playing well for parts of games and not getting what we deserve.
“But we can’t keep crying about that. It’s the nature of the league. We need to win. Not just myself, but staff who are working towards something and players who were feeling good about what we were doing but not quite getting results.”
