The time has come for Frank Lampard’s young Chelsea to come of age

The major pitfall of taking on responsibility is you lose your sense of fun. But just as in real life where such a change is instigated in the hope of enhancing character, Chelsea have reached a stage in their own development where they must do so to enhance themselves as a football club.

Frank Lampard’s young side have been one of the most entertaining in the country and large swathes of home and away supporters have revelled in the joy of watching such a free spirited side grow in front of them. But in recent weeks, this exciting collective with their spine of homegrown English talent has been found wanting. Chelsea were third a month ago, level on 26 points with second-place Leicester City. They were sitting comfortably in the top four by nine points. But three defeats in the next four league meetings have dropped them down to fourth with Manchester United’s mini-revival cutting the gap from fifth down to just five points. 

Wastefulness in front of goal and lapses at the back, the sort of issues that are endearing when they were not costly, are now developing into problems. And while addressing those problems requires time, Lampard requires a mature response as soon as possible just days after a 3-1 loss to a previously underwhelming Everton side. 

Tonight they face Lille in a match they must win to guarantee qualification through to the knockout stages of the Champions League. It is only December but this is undoubtedly a season-defining fixture. A draw could be enough if Ajax beat Valencia. In the event both Chelsea and Valencia finish level on nine points then the Spaniards go through by virtue of a superior head-to-head record. But that kind of “everything will work out in the end” pluck does not serve you well in elite competition. Here is the time for those Chelsea players to take full control of their destiny. 

Chelsea have been most porous in Europe conceding eight in their previous five group matches. Six of those have come in their last two encounters: a 4-4 at home to Ajax and 2-2 at Valencia. Both were objectively compelling matches but the sort to give the Blues concerns over how easily they were shipping goals. While it was tempting and, perhaps, reassuring to attribute this openness in defence simply to the nature of high-level continental football, the manner of Sunday’s league defeat shows the old adage regarding unscrupulous overseas excursions does not apply here. What happens in Europe has not stayed in Europe. 

Most frustrating of all though is that they have not played badly. They should have wrapped up qualification with wins in either of those score draws. And tonight’s match, while relatively simple on paper – Lille have just one point from five matches – has the capacity to trip them up. After a pretty dire start to the Ligue 1 season, Lille have hit a bit of form by winning their last three. They’ll also go into this match with a bit of freedom. A spot in the Europa League is already beyond them and there is nothing to lose but to go out and give those fans who have made the journey to west London and those at home something to suggest there’s more to come. 

They could probably consider themselves unlucky after the first meeting. Chelsea triumphed 2-1 courtesy of Willian’s 78th minute winner, but they had enough chances to win it themselves. A couple of Kepa Arrizabalaga brain fades nearly handed a late equaliser to the hosts and all eyes will be on him off the back of a questionable performance at Goodison Park. 

Being part of the Champions League is as much about its social status as it is about the competition itself. Chelsea, realistically, will not do as they did in 2012 and lift the trophy against the odds, and it may be a while until they reestablish themselves as a force to worry the top-tier clubs in the latter stages. But the pulling power of being part of this world, in terms of marketability and player recruitment, is a must given the ambitions of the club. 

And with Chelsea able to delve back in the transfer market from January, there is a lot riding on this current crop. A professional display against Lille to secure passage beyond the group stage will automatically elevate Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori and Reece James to a higher level by virtue of association. Chelsea will always be regarded as a Champions League team. Now is the time for the players to embrace the responsibility of playing for one and earn that tag for themselves.