Lampard leaned into Felix: He has talent, but he also has to work hard. Playing without the ball? A challenge for him

Joao Félix was one of Chelsea’s star winter signings. After a very decent start (despite the red card) his career in London faded a bit, especially after the change of coach. Frank Lampard is not happy with the Portuguese at all.

After his winter departure from Atlético Madrid, Joao Félix thought he was finally free and would start enjoying football again. But that hasn’t quite happened.

In the first game against Fulham he put in a very decent performance for 57 minutes, Chelsea fans were delighted with his arrival, only to see a red card and a three-match stoppage time for over-effort.

But after his return he started to show his quality. He scored against West Ham, had a good game against Dortmund and scored his second goal against Everton. Owner Todd Boehly has publicly praised him and is reportedly confident of a summer buyout.

Despite the Blues’ poor results, Felix was one of the better ones Chelsea offered. But the arrival of Frank Lampard changed everything.

He did start in the starting XI in the first three games under the new coach, but his performance at the Santiago Bernabéu against Real deprived him of a place in the starting eleven.

He started for half an hour against Brighton, 24 minutes in the rematch against Real and just 12 against Brentford. On Tuesday against Liverpool, he even stayed on the bench for the entire game.

For the third consecutive game in the Premier League he did not play in the starting lineup, the fourth time in a row overall. While Graham Potter had a lot of confidence in Felix, Lampard certainly didn’t take to the Portuguese.

Moreover, Lampard publicly lashed out at the 23-year-old before the Arsenal game. “He has a lot of talent, we see that in training, but I have to find a structure in how we work without the ball and that is the challenge with João. He is not clear where he actually wants to play. There are definitely things João has to prove, either here or somewhere else,” Lampard told Sky Sports television.

“As coaches we trust what we get from the players. You either have great talent or you don’t, but at the same time you need a work ethic and to work hard. I’m not totally saying he doesn’t have that, he played under Simeone. But he needs to understand quickly what I want him to do. If he shows that side, then he can show his talent,” the Chelsea coach added.

Source: Sky Sports