Frank Lampard reveals Chelsea conversion rate “gripe” after West Ham defeat

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has expressed concern about his side’s conversion rate in the final third after losing 1-0 to West Ham. 

The Blues fired a blank as Manuel Pellegrini’s men clinched three points at Stamford Bridge to end a six game winless run.

What is Lampard’s conversion rate “gripe”? Five things to know… 

• Chelsea lost 1-0 to West Ham at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
• The Blues produced 19 shots, including six on target, but failed to breach West Ham’s net.
• This was only the second time Chelsea have fired a blank in a league game under Lampard.
• Chelsea have scored 28 Premier League goals this season, the fourth-most in the 2019/20 season.
• However, Lampard believes his side have struggled to convert their chances in recent games.

This was only the second time in the league that Chelsea have failed to find the back of the net since Lampard replaced Maurizio Sarri in the summer.

Defeat for the west London club keeps them in fourth place but Tottenham Hotspur have reduced the gap to the final Champions League qualification spot to just six points.

Reflecting on Chelsea’s defeat after the match, Lampard conceded his side have been below par when it comes to taking their chances in recent weeks.

When asked why Chelsea struggled to break down West Ham, Lampard told reporters: “We were below par in many parts of our game. It is not one. We didn’t do enough in the final third.

“I think that has been a little bit of the story of our last few games this week. Now, we were different against Man City. We got in the final third a lot and we didn’t do enough with our choice of pass or cross or shot. Similarly to Valencia.

“Today, we didn’t get in there quite as much. We need to be more inventive and generally we have been this season. My gripe this season is more we are not converting enough of the chances we are making.”

Frank Lampard on Chelsea’s performance against West Ham

“The team out there had enough quality to win”

Lampard made five changes to the side that drew 2-2 with Valencia in the Champions League on Wednesday, including dropping N’Golo Kante, but the Chelsea boss believes his starting XI against West Ham possessed more than enough quality to win.

He added: “Tammy [Abraham] was enforced and had been going well. But at the same time I had to think about the squad and we had a taxing game where we had to give everything physically. We arrived back late and I had to think about how we think about it going forward.

“It also gives me a look about how we are generally, because we aren’t going to get through the season with just ten or 11 players. I think the team out there had enough quality to win this game.”