Ben Chilwell responds to Frank Lampard bluntly claiming standards slipped at Chelsea

Ben Chilwell says club record goalscorer Frank Lampard was right to question players at end of last season but the required levels have returned under Mauricio Pochettino

Ben Chilwell says Frank Lampard was right to call out Chelsea players for their drop in standards (

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Frank Lampard’s claim that standards slipped at Chelsea last season was accurate, according to Ben Chilwell.

Record goalscorer Lampard, who took interim charge of the team at the end of last season, said that the dressing room lacked togetherness and questioned the fitness of players.

And Chilwell reckons the Chelsea legend’s assessment was fair – though he insists the drop off was not deliberate and the levels are back to where they should be under Mauricio Pochettino.

“Unintentionally, nobody does it on purpose, but as someone who came in as Frank did at that time he could see it wasn’t where he would expect it to be for one reason or another,” Chilwell said. “It is difficult to pinpoint why. I can see why he said that but it wasn’t intentional or something we wanted to happen but a lot of circumstances contributed to that last season.”

Pochettino’s first season in charge has been a bumpy one, with a young squad struggling to find consistency. That is why Chilwell is placing such importance on winning tomorrow afternoon.

Yet he is clearly impressed by the former Spurs coach, saying he knows when to pick and choose his moments of gentle encouragement and fiery criticism.

Chilwell adds: “He is a very demanding manager, which is what you want of course. There will be training sessions and games where personally you think you have done well and then he will pull you in and tell you what you could have done better. Then there will be other games when maybe you didn’t think you did very well and he does.

“It’s a balance really. He is very good in terms of keeping you on a level. Nobody gets ahead of themselves if they have a few good games, likewise, if things aren’t going our way he keeps the spirits high.

Ben Chilwell agrees with Frank Lampard (

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Darren Walsh/Getty Images)

“There’s an accountability if things aren’t going well. It’s not all dressing it up and making it look better than what it is. He keeps spirits high and lets you know if you are not up to standard.”

“He is very good at understanding a player’s mindset. Even within the team, he knows the players he can dig out and he knows the ones he needs to put an arm around.

“That’s the sign of a good manager. Not everyone has the same personality – some need digging out and some need an arm around the shoulder. A great trait to have and he does.”

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