Chelsea players looked SOFT against Leicester, says Jamie Redknapp

Chelsea players looked ‘SOFT’ against Leicester, says Jamie Redknapp as he singles out Ben Chilwell and Callum Hudson-Odoi for criticism… but admits ‘buck falls’ with Frank Lampard after sixth defeat of season left them down in EIGHTH place

  • Leicester inflicted a sixth defeat of the Premier League season on Chelsea 
  • Frank Lampard’s side have now been defeated in five of their last eight games
  • The Blues now sit eighth in the table after they were overtaken by West Ham 
  • Jamie Redknapp singled out Ben Chilwell and Callum Hudson-Odoi for criticism 

Jamie Redknapp has criticised Chelsea by claiming a couple of their players looked ‘soft’ in their defeat by Leicester.

Goals from Wilfred Ndidi and James Maddison condemned the Blues to their fifth defeat in their last eight games.

The 2-0 reverse at the King Power Stadium was also the Stamford Bridge outfit’s sixth loss of this season’s top-flight campaign, and they now sit eighth in the Premier League table after West Ham’s victory against West Brom. 

Jamie Redknapp believes a couple of Chelsea players looked ‘soft’ in their defeat by Leicester

The Blues suffered their fifth defeat in their last eight games across all competitions

And speaking to Sky Sports after the game, former midfielder Redknapp believes the fact his side were outbattled and outrun by the Foxes will be of most concern to Blues boss Frank Lampard. 

‘This will upset Frank more than anything because he was as hard working as a player that I have ever seen, but one or two of them are a little bit soft,’ Redknapp said.

‘You never want to be labelled a soft team, a team that does not run enough, work hard and win individual battles, and that can boil down to confidence.

‘But I look at that team right now and one or two have them are just doing enough, and you can’t just do enough when you play for Chelsea.’

Redknapp believes one or two players looked soft in their sixth top-flight defeat this season

Callum Hudson-Odoi started just his third Premier League game of the season in the East Midlands, while club and international team-mates Reece James and Ben Chilwell occupied the fullback roles.

But Redknapp believes former Leicester left-back Chilwell – who signed for the Blues for £50million last summer – is ‘going through the motions’ and also singled out 20-year-old Hudson-Odoi for failing to take his chance after missing a glorious opportunity in the first half. 

‘Players have got to take more responsibility. They have got to do more,’ Redknapp added.

‘I talk about the full-backs, Reece James, Ben Chilwell came in for a lot of money, I want to see a lot more from him. I am seeing him going through the motions a little bit, I want to see more energy.  

Redknapp also singled out Callum Hudson-Odoi for failing to take his chance after starting

‘Callum Hudson-Odoi got an opportunity today, what did he do? He had one opportunity when he ended up falling over and there was a lack of quality. These are big opportunities for players. 

‘You should never be judged on one game, but the players that he [Lampard] brought in, you are always asking them to do better and they didn’t do enough.

‘When they go into training tomorrow, they cannot really moan too much or knock on the door when they get left out next week, they have got to do more.’

The defeat has once more increased the pressure on under-fire boss Lampard, but while admitting that he will know he could pay the ultimate price by losing his job due to the club’s poor form, Redknapp urged the west London outfit to afford their former midfielder more time. 

Redknapp also accused Ben Chilwell of ‘going through the motions’ against his former club

‘He knows the price of the ticket, he’s a manager and the buck falls with you,’ Redknapp continued.

‘There is always pressure, Frank knows that, Frank has lived under pressure all his life, he has always put himself under duress.

‘But they would be mad not to give someone time when you bring in new players, you cannot just have knee-jerk reactions.

‘Things are not good right now, you cannot deny it. That performance is not good enough and there have been a lot that have not been good enough.

‘But they will improve given time, because someone will get the best out of this squad. But I think Frank, because of his knowledge of the game and how he sees it, will get it right, but it is going to take time.’

Redknapp insists Lampard knows the buck falls with him but backed him to turn it around




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