Lampard calls for patience

Chelsea 3 Stoke 0

The final scoreline may have looked comprehensive, but a 3-0 victory did not look likely for the first 30 minutes, during which Chelsea showed an understandable lack of composure and nervousness brought about by two successive defeats.

The first of those, at Crystal Palace last weekend, was apparently the end of Chelsea’s title challenge according to Jose Mourinho, who was still talking down their Premier League chances on Saturday evening despite moving back to the top of the table.

The second, and potentially more damaging defeat, was losing 3-1 in Paris on Wednesday, a result that leaves the French team favourites to progress to the competition’s last four.

Yet Lampard has seen it all before, experiencing some spectacular comebacks from Chelsea, and believes another one is possible. A 2-0 victory would be enough to take the Blues through on away goals, and now they are on a run of eight successive clean sheets at Stamford Bridge, the key is ensuring they score enough — which is where the need for composure comes in.

For half an hour Chelsea picked up where they had left off at Selhurst Park, snatching at shots and failing to make the final ball count. Then Nemanja Matic cut back a cross from the left for Mohammed Salah to score the first, before Lampard scored his 250th club goal on the hour and Willian capped a man of the-match performance with a beautifully curled third goal.

Lampard was one of the scorers when Chelsea turned around a 2-1 deficit against Barcelona to win 4-2 in 2005, and also scored when they beat Napoli 4-1 before winning the Champions League two years ago, having lost the first leg 3-1.

Lampard is fully aware that PSG are a different proposition to Napoli, though. “I think we’re looking at a stronger team all round,” he said. “The disappointing factor was that late goal [in Paris]. To lose 2-1 would have been slightly disappointing, but 3-1 with the last kick of the game was a kick in the teeth.

“But we can certainly win by two goals. We have to take away that feeling of chasing goals from minute one a little bit. It’s more about getting our focus and attitude, pacing our game right. If we do that, the consequence could be winning by a couple of goals.”

Mourinho spoke of the need not to concede to PSG. “If we keep a clean sheet we can score two, but if we let in just one goal we have to score four,” said the manager.

Lampard knows his boss will reinforce that message.

“It’s up to us to look at. That’s when you trust the manager. He is very strong in these situations. We have been disappointed since the last game. We have had to focus on this game [Stoke] in between so there has not been much time to think what we’ll do on Tuesday night. But we will look at it in the next few days. We have to be positive and try to win the game. We will have to keep our heads because with the squad we’ve got we can win by two goals for sure. But we can’t be too gung-ho. It’s all about finding the right balance.”

And that is what Chelsea did — eventually — against Mark Hughes’ side, who play a different brand of football to the Stoke of old and had won their previous three games. “It was a difficult game to approach for us. Stoke can mess your game up and make it difficult.

“We’re disappointed with two losses on the bounce, the crowd are too, but they were great. They stuck with us. We started pretty slowly, but we got into the game. It was one of those matches where getting a nice comfortable result was great for us and we can go away now and concentrate on Tuesday.”

And concentration will be a key issue, as Lampard well knows. “The problem with Champions League football is you can’t settle for good periods in the game because there can be little moments where you end up losing the game like we did the other night — the quality level is so high. That was the disappointing thing about Paris.

“But we have the ability, the desire. I’m not going to stand here and proclaim we’re going to win the game and believe in us to turn it around. But we have to have confidence in ourselves and have a go to turn it around.”

Mourinho will tell his players to enjoy the moment. “I would be nervous if we had won 1-0 or 2-0 in Paris, but after losing 3-1 in Paris, I’m not nervous. I want to enjoy the game, the fight, the risk. So no nerves. We have to enjoy the 90 minutes. After the 90 or 120, if we lose, we don’t enjoy, but during the 90 minutes we enjoy.”

Mourinho fell just short last season when his Real Madrid side went within a whisker of overturning their 4-1 first leg defeat to Borussia Dortmund. “I enjoyed the second game a lot until the last second, when we were out. We risked everything, we made it 2-0. In the last corner of the game my keeper was going up and if we scored we were in the final. Brilliant, brilliant.”

So can Tuesday be another special night for the Special One and his supporters? “It can be special for sure.”

CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Cech 7, Ivanovic 6, Cahill 7, Terry 6, Azpilicueta 7; Lampard 7 (Luiz 70, 5), Matic 7; Salah 7, Willian 8 (Cole 78), Schurrle 5 (Hazard 58, 7); Torres 5.

STOKE (4-3-3): Begovic 6; Cameron 6 (Wilkinson 46, 5), Shawcross 6, Wilson 6, Pieters 6; Whelan 6, Nzonzi 7, Palacios 6 (Adam 46, 4); Odemwingie 6, Crouch 6 (Walters 78), Arnautovic 6.

Ref: Lee Probert.