The levels of apathy and unprofessionalism that have characterised Chelsea’s torturous season are summed up by a report that claims one first team player nearly missed the team bus because he nipped home for an afternoon nap.
Frank Lampard’s miserable interim tenure will come to an end this afternoon at Stamford Bridge with Todd Boehly said to be considering not attending given the negative reception the bungling Chelsea owner would likely receive.
Despite a spending spree in excess of £600million, the Blues are set to end the season with their lowest Premier League finish since 1994 and will not play in Europe next term.
Chelsea are yet to officially confirm the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as the club’s new manager, but whoever succeeds Graham Potter on a permanent basis faces a daunting task to remedy a toxic dressing room.
According to The Telegraph, instances of players arriving late for the team bus after going home to take a rest has happened on more than one occasion over the last 10 months.
At least six senior players have already made it known they want to leave in the close season while Mason Mount, who Chelsea are keen to retain, appears increasingly likely to demand amid a bitter contract wrangle.
After Thursday night’s 4-1 thrashing at Old Trafford, Lampard conceded the levels of focused he has witnessed in training have not been at the level required by an elite club and the Telegraph report substantiates that view by claiming some players no longer even bother to tie their laces properly during sessions.
Speaking ahead of this afternoon’s game, Lampard was asked to sum up the task that awaits Pochettino, or any new manager at Chelsea, he said: ‘I think it is a fantastic job because it is the Chelsea job and when I took it the first time, I probably got it it because a lot of top managers didn’t want it then, I know that for a fact.
‘But I enjoyed the process and I enjoyed coming in, and I wish the new manager well. I don’t know [about the future], it’s his problem I guess.’
On his own future, Lampard added: ‘I don’t want this to sound corny, but I don’t feel like it is a goodbye. I appreciate it will be the end of my time back, but normally when you leave a club you don’t have a hurrah as a manager. You are in one day out the next and that’s fine.
‘This is the corny part. I will never feel like I am saying goodbye to the fans because of my career as a player and as a coach for the first time around, and this period.
‘I live close enough to the stadium and I will be back at Chelsea many times, and when you take on a managerial career it doesn’t mean you will be at a club you had 13 years at as a player forever.
‘I’m quite calm about it and not too nostalgic about it, but, certainly, I do appreciate the fans’ support. More than anything, I would love to give them a performance to take away for the summer and feel a bit more positive about for sure.’
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