After his side’s 1-0 loss to Everton yesterday, Frank Lampard has taken a post-match snipe at Jurgen Klopp’s title claim made earlier this month that Chelsea are the favourites for the Premier League, making light of his Liverpool counterpart’s words.
“It’s a long season. If it makes some people who are talking about us winning the league, saying we’ve got the best squad in the league, it’s ridiculous stuff,” Lampard said, as reported by the Echo.
“When you talk about the best squads you have to look at the teams who have won it in the last two or three years, their squads are full of strikers and wingers who scored 30 or 40 goals a season.”
Chelsea’s defeat at Goodison Park ended to the club’s nine-game unbeaten stretch in the league, with Lampard’s men now two points adrift of the top spot, a game ahead of both Liverpool and Tottenham.
Despite it being arguably too soon for the London side to be deemed serious contenders for the title, Klopp’s comments about the size and talent of the squad available at Stamford Bridge are not without reason.
With the likes of Timo Werner and Kai Havertz now on board, the 42-year-old would have little or no reason at all to complain about not having talented options available although, admittedly, new signings often need time to settle into the Premier League.
Chelsea is seen as something of a dark horse in this year’s title race and it’ll be up to Liverpool and Manchester City to utilize the experience of their erstwhile, experienced managers to stay ahead on the board in their hopes to stay strong in contention for the coveted trophy.