Frank
Lampard insists he never doubted Christian Pulisic after Red Bull Salzburg
boss Jesse Marsch claimed the Chelsea head coach did not rate the American
because of his nationality.
Chelsea completed a £57.6m deal to sign Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund in
January 2019 while Maurizio Sarri was in charge of the club, but the USA
international did not move to Stamford Bridge until the summer of that year
when Lampard had replaced Sarri.
Earlier this month, Marsch claimed Lampard doubted Pulisic's ability to make
an instant impact at Chelsea because he was American.
However, Lampard believes Marsch recalled the conversation incorrectly and
praised Pulisic for enjoying a "breakthrough" season at the club.
"I did read the comments and I was surprised that he had managed to read my
mind as well as he thought he did," Chelsea boss Lampard said in a press
conference on Thursday.
"He has recounted the conversation wrong and I have to put it correct. It
was a game against Salzburg in pre-season and Christian scored two goals.
Jesse came up to me and we spoke about Christian. He said he was a talented
player and I agreed with him and we spoke about how exciting his development
will be.
"That was the conversation. Jesse managed to put it across slightly
differently. I played in America for 18 months and I would never
underestimate the desire that American players have to learn and to improve.
Christian has that desire and talent also so it was never in doubt for me.
"I understand the rigours of the Premier League. It's clearly the toughest
league in the world and it's not just Christian who would have felt that,
but some of the greatest players in history have.
"What Christian did was find his feet very quickly and have a breakthrough
season with lots of goals and assists. His performances were massively
impressive and he will get better and better. I never doubted that.
"I'm not jumping on Jesse but as a manager I never doubted Christian and
it's important for me to put that straight."
Lampard: Ziyech brings us something
different
Hakim Ziyech was injured during a pre-season friendly at Brighton0:31
Lampard says new signing Hakim Ziyech brings "something different" to
Chelsea following the Moroccan's eye-catching display in the Champions
League on Wednesday.
Ziyech became Chelsea's first signing of the summer when he arrived from
Ajax on a five-year deal for £33.3m, but he has been made to wait for
game-time as he continues to chase full fitness following a knee problem.
The 27-year-old made his first start and scored his first goal for the club
on Wednesday in a 4-0 win over Russian side Krasnodar in the Champions
League, meaning he has now been directly involved in 13 goals in his last 15
starts in the competition.
"When we brought Hakim into the club it was because I had watched him a lot.
We played against him the year before and I knew his qualities," Lampard
said.
"He can play as a winger that gives us real width, but can also give us the
clever movements when he comes off the line to produce important passes,
assist-kind of passes or break-the-line passes that maybe other players
don't.
"So he brings us something different, certainly from what we have in terms
of style and the real glimpses, more than glimpses that he showed last night
are really positive signs."
'I don't pigeon-hole Burnley'
Chelsea return to Premier League action with an away trip to Burnley on
Saturday, hoping to inflict more damage on a side without a league win this
season.
Burnley currently occupy 18th place in the table and have scored just three
goals, but Lampard insists Sean Dyche's men still pose a significant threat.
"I will always respect a Burnley team managed by Sean Dyche because of the
qualities they have," Lampard said.
"I watched the game against Tottenham (a 1-0 defeat) and they were very
unfortunate to not take anything from the game against a very good Tottenham
team.
"It was what you expect from Burnley in terms of their organisation, their
effort, their desire and their qualities.
"People can pigeon-hole Burnley but I don't. I know they have quality
players, I know they have a very effective way of playing and a very good
manager so I expect a tough match."
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