FRANK LAMPARD wants to feel the noise at an empty Stamford Bridge.
And Chelsea’s frustrated manager has told his players to come out of their shells and talk more during games.
The Blues face relegated Norwich tonight with Lampard demanding a vocal reaction to Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Sheffield United, dubbed the silent surrender.
He said: “It’s not an easy one and I’m not trying to make a quiet player into the biggest mouth in the dressing room.
“Some naturally talk more. It is much easier to improve opening your mouth than it is to beat three players and put the ball in the top corner.
“It’s really one of the basics of football and that’s something we drum home, and will have to keep drumming because I didn’t hear enough at the weekend.
“I remember being taught as a boy about communicating with your team-mate, wanting the ball, demanding the ball and supporting others.
“You can be as quiet as you want off the pitch, we have some quiet players here who keep themselves to themselves, but they must come out of that on the pitch.
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“It is very easy and natural to look at talent but you also have to look at attitude and character within the team.
“It’s something we can improve. Older players can take on the responsibility of helping.
“We’re in a good place but it can certainly improve.
“Moments like this, critical times like this where there’s a lot on the line, it’s time for people to make that improvement.”
Lampard spent Sunday sitting through a rerun of Saturday’s dispirited display.
He knows he has yet to find his best partnership in a defence that has conceded 49 Premier League goals — more than any team in the top ten.
Leicester’s shock 4-1 loss to Bournemouth on Sunday was a massive let-off in the chase for the top four, but only if Chelsea cash in by beating the doomed Canaries.
Centre-back Andreas Christensen is fit again to improve the options at the back.
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Lampard added: “You want to get settled relationships, but if we are making individual errors, some can be collective, or multiple errors leading to goals — which we’ve seen recently against West Ham and Sheffield United — then you have to take that into account.
“At the same time, I don’t want players thinking they will be out of the team if they make one mistake so there is a balance to that.
“Clearly we haven’t found a partnership in that area that I’ve settled on and that’s something we’re striving for.”
