Memo to managers facing Chelsea over the festive season. Ask TV to move the match to an early slot.
The Blues can’t get their Arsenals in gear before 3pm, especially away, and were in the land of nod at Goodison Park, letting demoralised Everton jump out of the drop zone.
Petrified by their pre-match talk, the Toffees brushed Chelsea aside, leaving a trail of players sitting on the ground, complaining to ref Craig Pawson, while hard man Duncan Ferguson gave rib-crushing hugs to every ballboy he could find.
After the midweek European distraction, the Blues host Bournemouth, before the journey to Spurs’ new stadium, where one stat intrigues The Special One.
Kepa, the world’s most expensive goalie, hasn’t kept an away clean sheet in the whole of 2019.
It’s partly down to the defence, where Reece James (20 this week), Andreas Christensen, Kurt Zouma and Cesar Azpilicueta aren’t functioning as a unit. “It’s not good enough,” says Lamps.
He’s in intensive talks with Marina Granovskaia, Roman Abramovich’s eyes and ears on the Chelsea board, about who to buy to shore up the leaky defence now that the transfer ban has lifted.
Two key targets (one English) have been identified, and agents are being sounded out.
As well as Spurs, the Christmas fortnight involves encounters with Arsenal, Southampton and Brighton. Lampard’s brief is to try, at all costs, to keep the Blues in the top four.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
Want to read more news stories like this? Subscribe to our weekly e-news bulletin.
