Chelsea suffered their second defeat in the Premier League this season when Liverpool beat them 2-1 at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
While this loss means the Blues are now 11th in the league table but according to pundit Paul Merson, the London outfit can take a lot of positives out of the match.
Merson wrote in his Sky Sports column: “People know I’m a Chelsea fan, and I was pleased with their performance on Sunday – not the result, but there’s a lot of positives to come out of that game.
“Look at Chelsea now and you think they could get in the top four. They’ve given a lot of people heart, and it’ll give Frank heart.
“I think expectations have gone up now. After that performance, you’re looking at top four. When you see what’s around, you’re looking at top four. With losing the game, it’s backfired in a way – the expectations have gone up rather than down. I’ve seen enough yesterday to say they’ll be in the mix.
“Chelsea looked like one of the better lot of the six yesterday. The other two are head and shoulders above, head and shoulders. But they haven’t been able to buy anyone, other teams are spending 80, 90, 100 million quid.
“It’s about bringing the kids through.
“If Frank’s not the manager, Tomori, Mount and Abraham wouldn’t just be in the team, they’d be out on loan. He could’ve easily played the experienced players and made life easy for himself. He’s put the club ahead of himself.”
Verdict:
Obviously, Lampard’s faith on the youngsters has been a double-edged sword for Chelsea so far this season.
On one hand, the Stamford Bridge outfit are playing some eye-catching football but unfortunately, that brand of football has not been translating into points.
The Blues fans have obviously realised by now that they won’t be fighting for the league title this season and the team’s aim right now is to keep their Champions League status for next year.
And if they can manage to achieve this with a bunch of youngsters then Frank Lampard would have surely cemented his place in the Stamford Bridge dugout for a few more years.
