Frank Lampard, Chelsea manager, has assured that there would be no excuses in the UEFA Super Cup final against Liverpool on Wednesday in Instanbul.
Lampard had a disappointing first competitive game in charge of the team, when they were hammered 4-0 by Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday.
The performance of the team has drawn criticisms, with his former boss, Jose Mourinho, blaming him for players’ selection.
Chelsea are in the Super Cup, courtesy of their 4-1 win over fellow London club, Arsenal, in the Europa League last May, and would be taking on European champions, Liverpool, who saw off Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the Madrid final in June.
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“Going up against the team with the quality of Liverpool in a final is as tense as finals can be,” Lampard told uefa.com.
“Every player in there needs to be aware of the importance of the game to this club and we have to give everything, because it’s going to be tough.
“It’s going to be tough, but we cannot walk off the pitch and think, ‘Oh, we could’ve done that’ or ‘We missed that opportunity’ or ‘We weren’t quite ready’ or make any excuses for ourselves.”
The club were unfortunately hit with two-window transfer ban in Lampard’s start as Chelsea coach, coupled with the departure of Eden Hazard and David Luiz, which has further intensified the challenge facing the 41-year-old.
Chelsea won their only Super Cup in 1998, while Lampard lost back-to-back finals during his playing career at Stamford Bridge, when they made it in 2012 and 2013.
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