Chelsea manager Frank Lampard is not dreading his club’s fourth-round Carabao Cup clash against Manchester United. The West Londoners have been drawn to face off against United during the next phase of the competition after they demolished Grimsby Town 7-1 last week.
“Two big teams. I am pleased we are at home,” Lampard told the Chelsea website.
“A lot can happen in football in a short time and this next round of the draw is not coming tomorrow.
“Man United have good players and they beat us 4-0 at the start of the season, albeit it was not like a 4-0, so it is going to be a tough game.”
Lampard is adopting the right mind-set
Lampard got his management tenure with the Blues off to a less than ideal start when his club suffered a 4-0 humiliation at the hands of Manchester United during the opening day of the current Premier League season. After that game, the Blues have improved somewhat but still do have plenty of hard work to do if they want to challenge for a place in the top four this season.
The game against United will allow Lampard’s charges to redeem themselves for the defeat earlier on during this season. Cup games between Premier League sides tend to go either way as team’s tend to make modifications to their sides.
Lampard must take the Carabao Cup seriously
Many Premier League team’s, particularly those who play in Europe are guilty of not taking the Carabao Cup seriously. They tend to field second-string sides in the competition which some have even dubbed “the Mickey Mouse Cup”. Lampard must take the tournament seriously and try and field strong lineups in all games. He is currently working with a very young side. While the Blues will not challenge for the Champions League or Premier League this season, they are certainly capable of going far in the Carabao Cup. If they do go far, it will be good experience and expose for the likes of Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori and Tammy Abraham. It will allow the aforementioned players to develop their confidence as well as help them in terms of developing big match temperament. This could help the club in the long-run.
