Frank Lampard urges Chelsea to learn from Arsenal’s successful rebuild as they prepare for a Premier League clash amid injury concerns.

  • Frank Lampard points to Arsenal’s successful rebuild as a blueprint for Chelsea’s recovery.
  • Both teams are dealing with injury concerns ahead of their Premier League clash.
  • Lampard emphasises the importance of hard work and determination in turning Chelsea’s fortunes around.
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 29: Mikel Arteta of Arsenal battles for the ball with Frank Lampard of Chelsea during the Barclays Premier League match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on October 29, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 29: Mikel Arteta of Arsenal battles for the ball with Frank Lampard of Chelsea during the Barclays Premier League match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on October 29, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)

As Chelsea’s interim manager Frank Lampard looks to guide his team through a challenging period which sees his side some 36 points behind Arsenal, he has pointed to The Gunners’ recent resurgence as a blueprint for rebuilding ahead of the two teams facing off in a crucial Premier League encounter on Tuesday.

Arsenal, after finishing outside the top four for six consecutive seasons between 2016 and 2022, have turned their fortunes around under Mikel Arteta’s guidance. They are now embroiled in a fierce title race, demonstrating significant improvement in a relatively short period of time.

Discussing Arsenal’s transformation, Lampard said, “There is a long process in terms of getting to where you want to get to. I remember going up against Mikel in that early stage. Sometimes they played five at the back, sometimes four; now they have a clear identity. There has been a lot of work through the team, Mikel, alignment and good recruitment.”

Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta (L) shouts instructions to the players from the touchline to Arsenal's English goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on April 26, 2023. (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal’s Spanish manager Mikel Arteta (L) shouts instructions to the players from the touchline to Arsenal’s English goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on April 26, 2023. (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)

Chelsea, who currently sit 12th in the league table, have had a disappointing campaign despite their new US owners’ massive investment. Their recent 2-0 defeat against Brentford has further highlighted the need for improvement.

Lampard conceded that Chelsea’s players are “low on confidence” but emphasised the importance of hard work in turning things around.

“You can only work to get a level of performance to bring confidence back,” he stated. “Looking through history, we managed to get it back through hard work. We can only consider the future and work really hard to get the squad where we want it.”

Chelsea's English caretaker manager Frank Lampard (R) speaks with Chelsea's German midfielder Kai Havertz (L) during warm-up ahead of the English Premier League football match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at the Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton, central England on April 8, 2023. (Photo by DARREN STAPLES/AFP via Getty Images)
Chelsea’s English caretaker manager Frank Lampard (R) speaks with Chelsea’s German midfielder Kai Havertz (L) during warm-up ahead of the English Premier League football match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at the Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton, central England on April 8, 2023. (Photo by DARREN STAPLES/AFP via Getty Images)

Ahead of the match, both teams have been plagued by injuries, with Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly potentially “out for a while” due to a hamstring injury sustained against Real Madrid in the Champions League. You can get a more detailed breakdown of Chelsea’s injury problems for the game against Arsenal here.

Arsenal, on the other hand, will be without Takehiro Tomiyasu, Mohamed Elneny, and William Saliba.