Chelsea caretaker manager Frank Lampard conceded "low confidence" is the squad's biggest problem following Wednesday's 2-0 home defeat by Brentford which extended their miserable run of form.
An own goal in the in the 37th minute by captain Cesar Azpilicueta handed Brentford the lead at Stamford Bridge, before the visitors doubled their advantage with their first shot on target through Bryan Mbeumo with 12 minutes remaining.
It was a result and performance that typified Chelsea's woes this season. The Blues controlled 73 per cent of possession and had 15 shots, although only four were on target and they never troubled Brentford goalkeeper David Raya.
Of even more concern, it was a fifth straight defeat since Lampard took caretaker charge following the sacking of previous manager Graham Potter. Chelsea are 11th in the Premier League table, and while their hopes of a top-four finish and playing Champions League football next season were realistically over months ago, the 20-point gap on fourth-placed Manchester United means it is now mathematically impossible.
"I feel for the players a bit because at the moment they are low on confidence," Lampard said. "Everyone is around 30 per cent lower on confidence.
"It’s not an application thing. You control the game, you create some chances, but when we get them, we are not taking them. We are lacking the belief when we get to the top end of the pitch.
"Brentford are good at what they do. We dominated the second half, but they scored on a breakaway. The details of the game are pretty clear.
"I just told the players it is not a sob story that everything is going against us, but I can’t talk about any application things about the squad. They are trying everything, they are really disappointed in the dressing room and the fans should have no doubt about that."
A season that began with much promise under new ownership and the arrival of several new players was given a further boost during a record-spending January, which saw the arrival of some of the most exciting young talents in world football. World Cup-winning midfielder Enzo Fernandez sealed a club record move, while the likes of Mykhailo Mudryk, Noni Madueke, Benoit Badiashile and Joao Felix on loan further enhanced the squad.
In reality, though, it has left Chelsea with a bloated and disjointed squad lacking firepower and the team were loudly booed at full time on Wednesday. While Lampard was keen to defend his players, he said he had no problem with the fans' reaction in side Stamford Bridge.
"I am not sitting here to go against the fans and say don’t boo the players. Absolutely not. But I will defend the players because they are young lads who want to do well," he said. "Is there an issue with confidence? Yeah. Is there an issue with the balance of the squad? Yeah.
"If you think Brentford are going to come and turn you around and have corners and throw-ins, and you’re going to walk that game, it’s not the case any time. And when you’re in a moment of a lack of confidence, it’s difficult to win any game.
‘I’m not exonerating the players, but I am supporting them. They performed in my opinion like they wanted to win it."
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
RESULT
Manchester City 1 Sheffield United 0
Man City: Jesus (9')
Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
ORDER OF PLAY ON SHOW COURTS
Centre Court - 4pm (UAE)
Gael Monfils (15) v Kyle Edmund
Karolina Pliskova (3) v Magdalena Rybarikova
Dusan Lajovic v Roger Federer (3)
Court 1 - 4pm
Adam Pavlasek v Novak Djokovic (2)
Dominic Thiem (8) v Gilles Simon
Angelique Kerber (1) v Kirsten Flipkens
Court 2 - 2.30pm
Grigor Dimitrov (13) v Marcos Baghdatis
Agnieszka Radwanska (9) v Christina McHale
Milos Raonic (6) v Mikhail Youzhny
Tsvetana Pironkova v Caroline Wozniacki (5)
