FRANK LAMPARD says Chelsea’s alarming loss of form is down to a lack of energy.
The Blues boss is worried about a significant drop in the amount of running from his players in matches.
Chelsea’s plight was highlighted by Leicester star James Maddison after the Foxes’ 2-0 midweek triumph at the King Power Stadium.
Midfielder Maddison emphasised that hard running was at the heart of his side’s success.
And ahead of hosting Luton in the FA Cup on Sunday, Lamps said: “It was a really key thing when I heard Maddison speaking about Brendan Rodgers — a coach I have a lot of admiration for.
“It was the message that, ‘If you don’t run, you don’t play’.
“If I want to start my identity that’s how I start it.
“From the minute I came into this club last year and started pre-season, with trips to Dublin and Japan, it was: ‘Can we run and be really good and effective off the ball and on the ball? Can we have energy in the team?’
“That’s the first thing I want to see and it’s something we’ve definitely dropped off on, no doubt about that.”
In three of their first six Premier League games this season, Chelsea’s players covered 70-plus miles, but they have not hit that mark in ANY of their last 13 league games.
But if there is one Blues star whose performances and work-rate have not dropped off, it is Mason Mount.
The England midfielder has started all but two of Chelsea’s domestic games.
But there is little to no chance of him being rested for their fourth-round tie against Nathan Jones’ Championship side — despite two Premier League games in the following seven days.
It is a lot of responsibility for a player who turned 22 this month. But Lampard said: “At the moment Mason is playing well, so he’s a player that stays in the team for that.
“People talk to me about changing the team and why. But when players are playing well, I have no problem in keeping them playing.
“Of course, at some stage you will look for moments to rest because of the amount of games that we play.
“On the flip side, Mason is as fit as they come.
“He trains, he rests, he does everything professionally right. So if anyone can handle it, it’s Mason.
“There’s always a fine balance in this job as to when you can find rest for players that are crucial to the team.
“At the moment he’s playing with confidence and work ethic — the stuff that Mason churns out pretty much all the time for Chelsea.
“Now he is getting real recognition for it and I think he’s growing.
“Tough times are sometimes good for young players as they see things around them and see how other players react, see the right way to react.
“Mason does see the right way. We’ll see it in terms of rest, we’ll see how that goes, but at the minute he’s crucial to the team.”
Mount was at the heart of Lampard’s impressive first season as Chelsea boss when he and other products of the club’s academy repaid their manager’s faith in youth.
Everything looked rosy just a few weeks ago when the Blues were on a 17-game unbeaten run.
But after five defeats from their last eight Premier League games, serious questions are being asked of Lampard’s future.
Lamps said: “I think it’s interesting because when you’re playing well and winning, your identity is really clear and it’s something you want to shout from the rooftops.
“When you’re not playing well people question your identity, especially when you’re a relatively new manager.
“So it’s important I am the one who says: ‘Hey, lads, the things we were doing well, the identity we had that was winning games for us, it has not changed — but we have lost some of the basics’.”
Lampard’s tactical acumen and ability to blend nearly £230million of summer signings into a coherent team have also been questioned.
He believes the problem and its solution are more straightforward.
Lampard explained: “In terms of the formations I don’t want to get hung up, as we’re not going to win these next few games depending on our formation.
“We’re going to win them depending on how much we want to run, how much desire we have and how quickly we move the ball.
“When I walked off the pitch against Leeds, who are a really good side — that was the team I want to see.
“When I watched us at Sevilla, with ten changes, that was the team I want to see.
“That was only six weeks ago so it’s just remembering the basics and then the identity follows.”
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