Frank Lampard admitted his Chelsea side were fatigued by the UEFA Super Cup in midweek after clinging on to claim a 1-1 draw against Leicester City.
The Blues legend was making his Stamford Bridge debut as a manager after being confirmed as Maurizio Sarri’s successor this summer.
After a 4-0 loss at Manchester United last week and a penalty shootout defeat to Liverpool in the Super Cup in midweek, Lampard is still to taste victory and, as good as their first-half display was against the Foxes, their second-half struggle highlights the size of the task he faces.
It had seemed like a win was written in the stars as, after the pageantry of his arrival into the dugout, with chants of ‘Super Frank Lampard’ ringing around the stadium and banners held aloft, Mason Mount gave Chelsea a deserved early lead.
But the performance levels dropped off in the second half and Lampard conceded the midweek trip to Istanbul had likely affected his side’s display.
He told Ian Abrahams after the game: “Yeah it did [the Super Cup], it’s a factor for sure and not a nice one.
“But if we are better on the ball, we don’t have to run so much. But I thought we looked tired slightly, towards the end if the game.
“120 minutes and the journey back is a factor. But I don’t want to rely on it, there are things we can improve on even if you take that out of the picture.”
Mount was a bright spark for Chelsea in the first half, with the academy graduate getting into advanced positions further up the pitch.
He took his goal well, dispossessing Wilfred Ndidi before firing a low shot past Kasper Schmeichel.
And Lampard believes there will be plenty more special moments for the 20-year-old in a Chelsea shirt.
“Yeah, I’m delighted for him,” Lampard added. “His performance, particularly in those opening patches, where he is so good off the ball he works hard and closes people down which helped him get his goal.
“He’s also got great quality and this is a dream for him. He will be disappointed now because I know what he is like and he will have wanted to win the game.
“But he should take a lot from that moment and there will be a lot more moments for him in a Chelsea shirt like that.”
