Chelsea’s first season under Frank Lampard has had its ups and downs. 
With a transfer ban in place, it was always going to be a challenging season, and if you’d have asked Super Frank at the start of the season if he’d be happy sitting fourth in the Premier League at this stage of the season, he would definitely take it.

The game against Bayern was a sign that the blues aren’t as sharp as Europe’s elite. Serge Gnabry put four past Spurs when they met in the group stages, and here he scored two to put the first leg to bed. Alphonso Davies put in a special performance and Bayern were too much for Chelsea to handle.

The only thing that surprised me was seeing Frank’s starting line up without  any real pace or a key dribbler, because that is what Bayern had when they won the ball. Their transition from defence to attack was deadly. Chelsea were never in control, and when you also miss an outlet to take you up the field quickly the pressure will keep mounting on the defenders and that’s what happened. 

Bayern had so much experience and set the team up to use the intelligence of Gnabry, Lewandowski and Boateng. They were well prepared. 

It was a big lesson for Chelsea’s youthful team. Reece James and Mason Mount will have both learnt a lot from the defeat, and these players will no doubt flourish for Chelsea in coming years. The odds are stacked heavily against Lampard’s side in the second leg in Munich, but if football has taught us anything its that it’s never over until the final whistle. But they have to make sure they are way more solid at the back and try to have more pace in the team because if not it’ll be an even harder night. Bayern will take more risks at home so there will be opportunities for Chelsea to score, but you need to be ready when they come up.  Chelsea also have a big 5th round FA Cup tie with Liverpool coming up. This could be Lampard’s first chance at silverware for Chelsea, but a fourth-place finish will still be the main goal. If Frank gets 4th place it’ll be a good first year, knowing that the start had some tricky moments. Next season it will be expected to get 4th, and to make sure he gets closer to the top. Liverpool’s gap is way too big for all other teams that are fighting for the league. The game against Liverpool in the Fa Cup is like a final for Chelsea if they want to win any silverware this season. #mmlove