Lampard: Lack of concentration and mistakes cost us victory

Frank Lampard says he is confident the defenders he has at the club are good enough but admits he is concerned by lapses which are costing his team points.

The Blues looked on course for a comfortable win against newly-promoted Sheffield United at the Bridge on Saturday afternoon, taking a 2-0 lead after two goals from Tammy Abraham.

But they switched off during a lacklustre second half – playing the penalty by conceding a late equaliser.

That made it nine goals conceded in the opening four Premier League fixtures this term.

The Chelsea boss says his team needs to do better collectively and is refusing to point the finger of blame at any individual – and certainly not Kurt Zouma, whose own goal made it 2-2.

“We just are in a moment now where we obviously need to stop conceding so many goals,” said Lampard, who gave a debut in central defence to Fikayo Tomori.

“I wouldn’t say I’m worried about [finding the right defensive formation]. I’m trying to work all over the team to get the right combination.

“I’m confident and trust completely the four centre backs that I have. [Toni] Rudiger is now fit after the international break, so it gives me another choice.

“Tomori played very well for me last year [at Derby} and I’ve got competition at centre back so he deserved to play and I thought he played well.

“I’ve said it before, we can isolate goals and talk [just] about centre backs.

“The lack of concentration and mistakes for the goals are moments but you defend as a team as much as you attack as a team – so we concede because we switch off in a game which should be comfortably seen out at 2-0 up.

“That’s not disrespectful to Sheffield United – 2-0 is not the end of the story and I was clear with the players at half time that this could be 3-0, or a potential 2-2 on our hands. We only have ourselves to look at, as a group, not individually.”