Chelsea: Lampard and Mount targeted by a paint-by-numbers agenda

The knives are out again as Chelsea falter under the stewardship of Frank Lampard. Those who, last season, sat firmly behind Maurizio Sarri are targeting Mason Mount as the weak link in the current starting XI.

Last season Jorginho was regarded as “son of Sarri,” and anyone who has followed ChelsTwit over the last year or so will understand the implications for Lampard and Mount. Whilst the Sarri cultists lament “their” loss, they puzzle why Lampard is afforded the sanctity of faith from Chelsea’s supporters.

At times, Sarri achieved decent wins, but he did so in a selfish manner. He came in with a reputation of having his own playing style and rigidly stuck to it regardless of results. When it went wrong, he appeared unwilling to accept responsibility. To him, Chelsea were simply another team and just another job.

Frank Lampard is the polar opposite of Maurizio Sarri. Like the young side he’s developing alongside Jody Morris, he doesn’t yet have a modus operandi. There’s a refreshing naivete about Chelsea’s style of play. That won’t always deliver positive results but it will make for an enjoyable spectacle. Lampard has the gumption to admit when his team have not been good enough, and that honesty is all fans can ask for.

It’s unfortunate that Mount is being targeted by a few nonsensical #influencers for the sake of a like or retweet. There’s nothing the youngster can do about that, and he needs to keep doing exactly what he’s doing.

Obviously, in the mind of these doubters, there’s a degree of an-eye-for-an-eye in their thought process. Son of Sarri suffered, let’s see “Lampard’s child” suffer, too.

Well, grow up.

For those amongst the cultists who may say forget about Sarri, he’s gone, move on, it’s impossible to do when all these petty agendas are in play. If we all do genuinely back the team, then let’s do just that. Let’s support Mount, Azpilicueta, Willian, Kepa, Marcos Alonso and Jorginho. Squabbling helps no one. Let’s join together as one.

It’s a cliche, but Chelsea are a team in transition. The fact that the transfer ban has been lifted will help Lampard tighten his defence and find more goals if the club spend the Eden Hazard money well. However, January is not the best time to be splashing the cash. It’s too much a seller’s market. All the same, the club have to find an answer to prevent the goals they are consistently conceding.

A bit like last season, despite patchy results Chelsea are still in fourth place in the Premier League and vying for a place in the knock-out stages of the Champions League. Let’s face it, this winning DNA exists whoever is in charge and whoever plays.

We’re very lucky to support a team like Chelsea and we ought to treasure our affiliation and not dispute it. To genuinely be the “12th man” there has to be a mutual appreciation and respect for each other; without that, how can we actually be called supporters?

For anyone not wanting to do that, other teams are available.