Chelsea's Unusual Formation Against Real Madrid - Frank Lampard's Explanation

Chelsea's caretaker manager Frank Lampard explained that his team selection for the match against Real Madrid was based on picking the club's most in-form players. However, despite an improved performance compared to their recent losses, the Blues ended up crashing out of the Champions League as Real Madrid claimed a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge.

Pre-game, Lampard's team selection raised eyebrows as he lined up Trevoh Chalobah, Thiago Silva, and Wesley Fofana in a back three, with Reece James and Marc Cucurella operating as traditional or inverted wing-backs. N'Golo Kante, Enzo Fernandez, Mateo Kovacic, and Conor Gallagher also started, leaving attacking talents such as Joao Felix, Mykhailo Mudryk, Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount, and Hakim Ziyech on the sidelines.

Despite the loss, Lampard defended his team selection and explained that his chosen players were the most in-form and fittest. He added that the team's performance showed that they could compete with Real Madrid, though they struggled in the final third. Lampard acknowledged that this season has been challenging for Chelsea, and that the club still has work to do in order to improve and bounce back next year.

However, the defeat against Real Madrid means that Chelsea's chances of qualifying for any kind of European football are now slim. The team is currently sitting 11th in the table, closer on points to the relegation zone than to the top four. Lampard acknowledged the club's plight and pointed out that there are areas where they need to improve.

On a recent episode of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders, Graeme Bailey, and Toby Cudworth discussed a potential midfield merry-go-round this summer, Victor Osimhen's chances of joining Chelsea, Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher's futures, Harry Kane, Ilkay Gundogan, Ousmane Dembele, and more.