More than four months after they were hammered in London, Chelsea suffered another reminder of just how far they are from returning to the European elite on a chastening Champions League night against Bayern Munich.
Trailing 3-0 from the first leg at Stamford Bridge before the coronavirus pandemic brought football to a shuddering halt, Chelsea’s chances of a last 16 miracle in Munich on Saturday night were crushed as early as the 10th minute when Robert Lewandowski converted a penalty to put Bayern 4-0 up on aggregate.
Croatian winger Ivan Perisic made it 2-0 inside 25 minutes, and while Tammy Abraham pulled a goal back just before half-time, substitute Corentin Tolisso restored Bayern’s two-cushion on 76 minutes with a volley when unmarked in the Chelsea box before Lewandowski added his second inside the last 10 minutes – taking the prolific Polish forward to a remarkable 53 goals in 44 games this season.
The aggregate scoreline read 7-1 to the Germans as they booked a one-game knockout quarterfinal against Barcelona in Lisbon on Friday.
For Chelsea and boss Frank Lampard, and as with the crushing defeat against Bayern in London back in February, it was another lesson in how far his team are from returning to contention against the European big boys.
“Nights like this in a footballing sense show me a lot, tell me a lot,” said Lampard afterwards at the Allianz Arena.
“In a football sense I feel like I know where we can improve, so now it’s time to look at that.
“I saw lots of good things in the team and also some of the bad we have seen this season. We had individual errors that gave them goals and at this level that will finish you off.
“We want more but the feeling is we have achieved something with the group we have. Now is the time to think where we can improve.”
The hammering in Munich follows FA Cup final disappointment against Arsenal last weekend, and will put a dampener on the end of a first season imbued with no little promise but also concern for Lampard in the Chelsea dugout.
Lampard could point to mitigating factors against Bayern on Saturday – injuries and suspensions ruled out a host of regular starting names including skipper Cesar Azpilicueta, Christian Pulisic, Jorginho, Marcos Alonso and the Arsenal-bound Willian – but the chasm in class between the Germans and their opponents was clear.
Bayern recorded an eighth Champions League win from eight games this season, becoming only the second team ever to do so after Barcelona in 2002-03, and will head into the game with the Catalans on Friday as favorites despite the presence of Messi in the opposition ranks.
Chelsea, in contrast, were on the end of their heaviest-ever European aggregate loss, and are left to contemplate a summer overhaul which will prove vital to Lampard’s chances of making them competitive against the European elite again.
7 – Chelsea have shipped seven goals in a two-legged European tie for the first time in their history. Porous. pic.twitter.com/kBC7lCZuXV
The club backed by the billions of Russian owner Roman Abramovich have already acted swiftly in recruiting Timo Werner from RB Leipzig and Ajax sensation Hakim Ziyech, with young German midfield sensation Kai Havertz looking increasing likely to make the switch from Bayer Leverkusen in the coming weeks.
But finding the pieces to the defensive puzzle will be of more pressing importance to Lampard as he seeks to plug the gaps in a porous backline which has shipped 79 goals in all competitions this season – which at an average of 1.44 per game is their worst figure since the 1990-91 season.
Goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga – again overlooked against Bayern as Lampard opted for veteran Willy Caballero – will surely be on his way out of the Stamford Bridge door after a woeful season, even if it means the Blues cutting their losses for a man who arrived with a world-record price tag for a goalkeeper of £71.6 million (US$94 million).
The backline needs a far more commanding central presence than Antonio Rudiger, Kurt Zouma, and Andreas Christensen have offered, while Lampard will be desperate to secure the signing of left-back Ben Chilwell in a long-touted switch from Leicester.
Chelsea have at least secured Champions League football for next season – something which will have been seen as a minimum for ruthless owner Abramovich – but making their mark on a competition they won in 2012 and in which they were frequent visitors to the latter stages will be a much taller order for Lampard, based on the gulf exposed again by Bayern on Saturday and domestically throughout the season by rivals Liverpool and Manchester City.
The signs are that Abramovich is prepared to back Lampard, who has inherent goodwill from fans and the hierarchy as a club legend from his paying days. He is also being furnished with the finances he needs to rebuild the Chelsea ranks while continuing to bring through young talent such as striker Abraham, midfielders Billy Gilmour and Mason Mount and winger Callum Hudson-Odoi – widely seen as the most promising aspect of Lampard’s first year in charge.
But as Lampard looks to the positives from Saturday night in Munich, he will be under no illusions of just how much work and reinforcement is needed to reach the heights that Bayern have shown over the two legs.
A crucial summer and daunting second season awaits for the Blues boss.
