Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho (who now works as a pundit for Sky Sports) criticized his former player, Frank Lampard, for the first team he selected in his very first match as Blues boss. The result was a total disaster, a 4-0 loss to Manchester United, so it’s pretty easy to point fingers and assign blame.
Lampard discredited this take, maintaining that some of the more experienced and better players were simply not fit enough to be available. That includes N’Golo Kante, a former PFA Player of the Year award winner and now Chelsea’s best overall player with Eden Hazard gone to Real Madrid.
Chelsea Super Cup Team News, Starting XI Prediction
Liverpool FC Team News, Starting XI Prediction
He’s certainly the alpha until we see what the $73 million January signing, winger Christian Pulisic. can do, when he’s given an actual chance. Ahead of tomorrow’s UEFA Super Cup, where Chelsea will battle Liverpool in Istanbul, Lampard provided a fitness update on Kante and a couple more players.
“The selection of N’Golo on the bench at United was purely because he was coming back from injury and missed pre-season, so he wasn’t ready,” the first year manager said.
“I’m very aware of how important he is for us. He picked up a small injury in that game so we are assessing that for tomorrow. I will speak to him today and make a decision on that with him.”
So put him in the maybe pile. Meanwhile the news surrounding Willian and Antonio Rudiger is much more positive. Both should be involved after recovering from their surgeries.
“Willian and Rudiger are here and they are in different stages,” Lampard added.
“Willian is not far from fit, to put him in a high intensity match is tough. He will be working through this week on fitness. Tomorrow he will be on the bench. Similarly with Rudiger.”
Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek remain out of commission.
UEFA Super Cup FYIs
Kickoff: Wednesday, August 14, 8pm, Vodafone Arena
Match official: Stephanie Frappart
TV: BT Sport 2
Super Cup score prediction: Liverpool 3, Chelsea 1
With the Reds having a more fit squad and in a much better place overall, it’s hard to pick against them in this clash.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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