Frank Lampard explains vital Chelsea selection error that stunned Brentford in derby defeat
Bees shocked that they were afforded the same respect as Real Madrid in Stamford Bridge win
Too defensive: Frank Lampard fatally stuck with Chelsea’s 3-5-2 system against Brentford
/ REUTERShomas Frank says he was “surprised” that Chelsea showed Brentford “so much respect” after picking a defensive lineup for the west London derby.
Brentford won 2-0 away at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night after interim Blues boss Frank Lampard opted for a 3-5-2 formation with Raheem Sterling playing up front alongside midfielder Conor Gallagher.
Speaking after a victor sealed courtesy of Cesar Azpilicueta's own goal and substitute Bryan Mbeumo's late strike, Frank admitted he was shocked Chelsea lined up the same way against Brentford as they did versus Real Madrid last week.
He said: "Yes, I was [surprised]. I am pleased they showed us respect. I guess they did but I don't know exactly why. I haven't spoken to [Lampard]."
Lampard explained that he felt like he couldn't win with his team selection, and prioritised players who could perform tactically.
He said: "There is a balance of the squad thing to address. Everyone sees that. You are right, what can you do?
"This is a problem that pre-dates me, coming into this. When you lack goals you sometimes also need to play players who can do a tactical job which we saw against Real Madrid.
"I played a similar starting lineup and everyone told me that there weren’t many goals but those were my options. We have to keep working to find ways to create opportunities to score goals.
"Maybe there aren’t so many goals in the team and when you are low and lacking in confidence, that last bit, last chance [doesn’t go in]. When Aubameyang comes on, he gets chances but hasn’t had so many minutes.
"If he scores those goals then there are different parts to that. There’s a clear issue with the squad and that’s why we haven’t scored enough goals for Chelsea."
Chelsea remain 11th in the Premier League with just six games left to play this season. They look increasingly likely to finish below both Brentford and Fulham, the club's two west London rivals, for the first time in the Premier League era.