Lampard vows to keep faith in Hudson-Odoi at Chelsea

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has vowed to keep faith with Callum Hudson-Odoi in the wake of his disastrous performance against Southampton.
The Blues fell to a shock defeat on Boxing Day, going down 2-0 at Stamford Bridge with Hudson-Odoi giving possession away in the build-up to Michael Obafemi’s opening goal, setting Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men on their way.
Why is Hudson-Odoi struggling at Chelsea? Five things to know…
- Hudson-Odoi started his first Chelsea match since October against Southampton.
- But the 19-year-old failed to register a shot on target and struggled to influence the game.
- He also gifted Southampton possession during the build-up to their opening goal.
- Some fans have called for him to be sold to Bayern in January.
- But Lampard insists he will continue to show faith in Hudson-Odoi moving forward.
Furthermore, Hudson-Odoi failed to complete a single take-on or register any shots on target throughout the match, prompting some angry supporters to call for his sale to Bayern Munich — the England international was linked with the Bundesliga champions this time last year.
I hope we're Selling Callum-Hudson Odoi this January 😏😏
— Undisputed🏅 (@Sarvioo) December 26, 2019
Should have taken bayern offer and laughed all the way to the bank
— FruitSalad (@Lizard_chamber) December 26, 2019
But speaking after the match, Lampard praised the effort Hudson-Odoi put into the game and insisted he’ll continue to show faith in the 19-year-old moving forward.
“I thought he put a lot of effort in today. Trying things and making runs, it wasn’t quite coming off,” he told reporters. “He has come off the back of a big injury. He is very young. He has to work, he knows that.
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“I showed faith in him today and I will continue to do that. I might have been harsh on him at times, but I have seen a desire in his performance.”
“More pressure” – Lampard reacts to another home defeat
Thursday’s defeat was Chelsea’s third in their past four at home in the Premier League, also falling 1-0 to West Ham United and Bournemouth recently – beating Aston Villa.
When asked by reporters about this worrying trend, Lampard admitted the “pressure” of playing at Stamford Bridge appeared to be getting to his squad.
“There is more pressure, everyone is talking about it. We are not playing like the Chelsea to break them down,” he said, adding: “Same story. A few of the last home games. Every game is different, we had to recreate Spurs.
“It’s probably the same press conference as Bournemouth. We have to work. We have to do more in an attacking sense. You can’t have that control and not do more.”
Chelsea travel to London rivals Arsenal on Sunday.