Brentford manager Thomas Frank suggests Frank Lampard lost Chelsea game before kick-off

Brentford manager Thomas Frank says he was "surprised" at Frank Lampard for showing "so much respect" with his starting line-up ahead of their Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge.

For the first time since 1993, Chelsea have lost five consecutive games across all competitions after they suffered a disappointing 2-0 defeat to mid-table Brentford.

Goals from Cesar Azpilicueta [OG[ and Bryan Mbuemo sealed a relatively straightforward win for the Bees, who currently sit in ninth, eight points ahead of Frank Lampard's side.

And after the final whistle, Brentford boss Thomas Frank made a telling statement when he was asked about the lack of goal threat in Chelsea's starting XI.

He said: "Of course you're pleased they showed us so much respect, but I was surprised."

Lampard made a total of three changes to the side that was beaten by Real Madrid. Enzo Fernandez, Mateo Kovacic, N'Golo Kante and Conor Gallagher all started in midfield, with Raheem Sterling the only naturally attacking player included.

Christian Pulisic, Joao Felix, Mykhailo Mudryk, Hakim Ziyech, Noni Madueke and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were all named on the subs bench.

Here's how social media reacted to Lampard's line-up for the Brentford game.

One said: "Dreadful line-up. Why is he obsessed with only playing one attacking player? We’re playing against Brentford at home," while another commented: "

A third wrote: "Please bring in Pochettino before the end of the season. I actually can’t deal with Lampard as our manager anymore. What happened to trusting youth and building for the future? Unforgivable line-up."

A fourth added: "Negative tactics, line up wrong, playing with no strikers at the beginning of the game. I know we were poor with Graham Potter but this is a level below. I will always support Chelsea but this is depressing."

This is the worst line up in Chelsea's history. https://t.co/2GVt8OwMdx

— 𝐕𝐀𝐑 ☘️ (@Ziyechman) April 26, 2023

Speaking after the result, Lampard reflected on his side's defeat.

"With 4-3-3, we looked more dynamic and more of a threat in the first 15-20 minutes of the second half," he told BT Sport.

"But still there is that feeling around at the minute that the goal might not come and [the opponents] might get something."

He added: "We have to work against that. We’d love a magic wand or a magic moment, but it doesn’t come in football, so we’ll have to fight for the moment."

Chelsea currently sit just 10 points ahead of the Premier League relegation zone with five games remaining. Thoughts on what's happening at Stamford Bridge at the moment?

Let us know in the comments.