This archive report was first published on 23 August 2019.
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard is optimistic about his team's chances despite their struggling strikers. The team has yet to score a Premier League goal this season, with midfielder Mason Mount being the only one to find the net in their draw with Leicester last weekend.
Neither Tammy Abraham nor Olivier Giroud scored in the opening defeat at Manchester United, while Michy Batshuayi has yet to feature due to a transfer ban that leaves Lampard with no options to change his forward line.
However, Lampard is confident that his forwards will come good, starting at Norwich on Saturday. He pointed out that France veteran Giroud did score in Chelsea's European Super Cup loss to Liverpool in Istanbul, and he believes that his strikers will follow suit.
"As I said before, if we'd have been more clinical in front of goal we possibly could have had three wins," Lampard told reporters on Friday. "The competition is there and that's the challenge for the strikers."
Lampard praised the attitude and training of his strikers, saying that they work hard on the training ground to create and finish chances. He also highlighted the importance of Michy Batshuayi, who scored twice in Chelsea's development squad's 3-0 win over Liverpool earlier this week.
"I thought it was a good performance and he got the fitness work he needed out of the game," said Lampard. "It was two good goals; two very good finishes. He worked hard and that's exactly what the game was for."
Chelsea head to Norwich with Lampard also hoping France midfielder N'Golo Kante can shake off an ankle sprain. Antonio Rudiger is not ready to feature this weekend as he closes in on a return after long-term knee trouble.
