Chelsea's 3-0 loss to Bayern Munich all but ended their Champions League hopes and showed how far behind the elite they have fallen
Wednesday 26 February 2020 18:19, UK
There were times during the second half at Stamford Bridge, as the red shirts flooded forward and the travelling fans bounced in unison behind the Chelsea goal, that Frank Lampard, usually a restless figure on the touchline, could only slump in his seat, as powerless as his players.
The last time he faced Bayern Munich in this competition, he ended up parading the trophy around the Allianz Arena. On Tuesday night in west London, however, any hopes of repeating the feat as a manager - this year, at least - were all but extinguished. Bayern were as ruthless here as they were complacent back in 2012.
Chelsea were still in the game at half-time and might even have scored themselves had they shown a little more composure in the final third. But when Cesar Azpilicueta lost his footing 30 yards from goal shortly after the break, there was an air of inevitability about what happened next.
Serge Gnabry fed Robert Lewandowski, the Pole returned his pass, and the finish left Willy Caballero with no chance. It was utterly clinical and three minutes later the same combination allowed the visitors to double their lead. By the time Lewandowski added the third, converting a low cross from the brilliant Alphonso Davies, the game had become a procession.
Lampard knew what to expect from this Bayern side. He knew that they had put seven goals past Tottenham on their last visit to London only a few months ago - and that, in the lead-up to their return to the capital this week, they had smashed 34 goals in their last 10 games in all competitions.
But knowing what to expect and knowing how to stop it are two very different things. Lampard had said Chelsea would need to be faultless, that they would need to maintain concentration throughout to have any hope of securing a positive result, but they never recovered from Bayern's opener and, in truth, they were fortunate not to have fallen behind earlier.
Lampard's biggest disappointment, he explained afterwards, was Chelsea's lack of confidence and composure on the ball. They did create chances in the first half, but at no point did they control the game and the numbers bore it out. Over the course of the 90 minutes, they had just 37 per cent of the possession and made just 394 passes to Bayern's 692.
Perhaps, though, it was unrealistic to expect anything else.
In Ross Barkley, Mason Mount and Reece James, Chelsea's team contained three players making their first appearances in the Champions League knockout stages. Bayern's, by contrast, was packed with experience. In fact, as Lampard noted himself, in Thomas Muller, Manuel Neuer and Jerome Boateng, there were even three players who started the final in 2012.
There was a gulf not just in experience but in quality too.
Where Chelsea had Barkley, who only completed seven passes during his 61 minutes on the pitch, Bayern had Gnabry, whose double took him to six goals in two appearances in London this season. Where Chelsea had Olivier Giroud, who battled gamely without ever threatening, Bayern had Lewandowski, whose goal stretched his tally to 39 for the season.
It was a galling night for Chelsea's young players too. James, so impressive during his breakthrough season at Stamford Bridge, was outshone by Davies, whose muscular runs he could not contain, while Mount, like Barkley, did not get close to matching Gnabry's level of performance.
Lampard will hope those young players learn from the experience. They have shown enough potential this season to suggest they are a big part of the club's future and this result does not change that. But it does serve as a reminder of how far behind the elite Chelsea have fallen - and the level of investment required to take them back to that level.
Lampard singled out Mateo Kovacic as the only player who looked like he could play in "any team" in his post-match press conference, and while Chelsea do have the makings of a strong midfield, this result highlighted their glaring weaknesses at both ends of the pitch.
Caballero pulled off some fine saves in the first half but, at 38, he is not a long-term solution to their goalkeeping problem. They also lack a commanding presence in the heart of their defence, and while the arrival of Hakim Ziyech from Ajax will strengthen their attack, there is plainly still a need for reinforcements in the central striking position.
It is little wonder Lampard was so eager for investment in the January transfer window, and while he dismissed suggestions that this result had proven him right, he will certainly hope it emphasises to the club's hierarchy exactly what is required this summer. "There is a lot of work to be done," he said. "I felt that when I took the job and I feel it today."
And so, instead of parading a trophy around the pitch after the final whistle, on this occasion Lampard could only walk from corner to corner applauding the fans who had stuck it out until the end. On this evidence, his Chelsea side will need plenty more patience and support on their long road back to the top.
