STAMFORD BRIDGE — Frank Lampard accepted he is under pressure following defeat to Manchester City but insisted he would keep fighting.
After a run of 17 unbeaten games, which brought qualification to the knockout stages of the Champions League and talk of championship contenders, Chelsea have returned just four points from 18.
“I always feel heat,” Lampard said. “There is a lot of youth and new players in the team. That is not easy. I’m not going to speak for the people on the board or what they are thinking. That would be too much of a distraction. I can only speak as the manager of the club.
“We have character. We have 17 games unbeaten. A month ago people are asking where is this going to go, when are you signing a new contract. Now they’re saying the opposite. I’ll be the first to look at myself today but I know where we’re at and I know what it takes to churn out the level that City were at today. It’s normal that we take knocks but now is a test.”
City finding their rhythm
Kevin De Bruyne, back to his imperious best, underlined the feeling that City are finding coherence at last. “We play a little bit differently this year and are adjusting to the personnel we have, but we have been finding our rhythm in the past month and playing better. The difference today is that when we had the chances we took them. It was important to win one of these big games. This year we’ve played well in some big games but we haven’t won them. We’re getting closer and that’s all we can do right now.”
City coach Pep Guardiola distanced himself from talk of title form. “It’s the first phase of the season. It is important not just the result, though that is important, but for the display, the way we want to play. The players did really well. Maybe I have not been communicating well how to do things. We have to play with a type of tempo. To be good we need the ball. We can’t play like Liverpool or United, quick transitions. We have to play with the right tempo. Today we were able to do it.”
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