Wesley Fofana hails influence of Frank Lampard despite Chelsea's torrid run of form

Wesley Fofana has hailed the influence of new Chelsea caretaker manager Frank Lampard despite three consecutive defeats under his charge.

Lampard took over on an interim basis until the end of the 2022/23 season after Graham Potter was sacked, but his appointment hasn’t improved the Blues’ fortunes. Since being given the job, Lampard has overseen three defeats on the bounce to Wolves, Real Madrid and high-flying Brighton at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Despite this horrid run of results, young defender Fofana has insisted to Telefoot that Lampard has helped restore the players’ confidence.

“He was welcomed back in the best way possible, because he’s Mr. Frank Lampard. He’s a club legend. He told us to get our confidence back, and play simple football again,” Fofana said.

“To get back to the basics, really. His words moved us all, because it’s what we needed, to get our confidence back. And to realise that we’re fighting for a club. We’re fighting for a great club.”

Fofana also took the time to preview the midweek UEFA Champions League quarter final second leg clash with Real Madrid. The Blues lost the first leg 2-0 at Santiago Bernabeu thanks to goals from Karim Benzema (who else?) and Marco Asensio, and will also be without their starting left-back Ben Chilwell for the second leg due to his sending off on Wednesday evening.

French youngster Fofana has claimed that his team haven’t given up hope of winning the tie, stating they will draw inspiration from the Blues’ previous shock Champions League triumphs in order to do so.

“Chelsea have already done it after a difficult season before, with a new coach arriving. They won it in 2021. So I think it’s possible, it’s in the club’s DNA. We’ve had a bad season, we know that. Now it’s up to us to show what we’re capable of. There is quality in this squad,” he added.