Frank Lampard could deny Olivier Giroud a move to help him secure his place in France’s Euro 2020 plans by saying he wants to keep the striker at Chelsea.
Giroud is the second highest scorer in France’s history after recently overtaking Michel Platini, but has only played 36 minutes in the Premier League and 27 minutes in the Champions League this season.
After finishing last season as Chelsea’s first-choice striker, he now finds himself third in line behind Tammy Abraham and summer signing Timo Werner, while Kai Havertz has also been used as a false nine.
The 34-year-old, who has called his situation “worrying”, said he will have a decision to make in January while his agent Michael Manuello said it was “not fair” that Lampard preferred Abraham.
But the Chelsea manager insisted the World Cup winner will still figure at Stamford Bridge. “Oli is very important,” he said. “I want Oli to stay here because he will play. He was a big member of our squad last season. He will always want to play more.
“I saw Oli’s agent’s quotes and I thought nothing of them in a bad way. I know Oli very well and we can have a conversation.
"He wants to play, when he doesn't play he's an incredible support for the other players. My first thought has to be the strength of our squad.
"I will always be honest with Oli but I still think he has a big contribution for us. I have a good relationship with Oli but I am happy to have that conversation with him.”
Lampard praised Abraham, who was Chelsea’s 18-goal top scorer last season and who, after losing his place to Giroud, has returned to the side, scored in the last three games and operated as the main striker, with Werner playing on the left.
"I am really pleased with him, he is playing really well," Lampard said of Abraham, who scored the second goal in Chelsea's 2-0 win at Newcastle on Saturday. "In some parts it got forgotten how good he was in the first half of last season. He was a big reason why we finished fourth.
"The second half of last season was more difficult for him. We brought in a few players in attacking areas, and the whole point is not only bringing in the quality but to lift others around them. Tammy has shown a brilliant reaction.”
Thiago Silva and Havertz return to the squad as Chelsea look for a sixth successive win in Rennes on Tuesday, while Christian Pulisic will remain in London as he could make his comeback against Tottenham on Sunday.
Chelsea would book their place in the last 16 of the Champions League with victory, which would enable Lampard to rotate his squad in what he described as a “brutal” December fixture list.
“We need to try to win this game and if we can step into the next round then we could rest players, but we still want to win the group,” he said. “But if we get the wrong result it could be very difficult. We go to Sevilla next.”
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Newcastle 0 Chelsea 2: player ratings
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NEWCASTLE PLAYER RATINGS: Karl Darlow – 7. Darlow has been one of Newcastle’s best performers so far this season and was key to keeping the scoreline respectable. Produced a fine early save on Werner before another cracker to deny Abraham and was quick off his line to claim crosses. AFP -
Javier Manquillo – 6. Found himself playing as a defensive right-back instead of a wing-back as Chelsea’s waves of attack kept him pinned in his own half for much of the match. AFP -
Federico Fernández – 5. Got his feet all wrong to bundle the ball in for the opening goal and found it tough going against Werner. AFP -
Jamaal Lascelles – 6. Stood up well to Chelsea pressure and produced a lunging interception to break up a dangerous attack. That contribution led to an injury, though, and he was replaced at half-time. AFP -
Ciaran Clark – 6. Played his role in repelling Chelsea’s attacks when Newcastle sat deep. Decent game for the Irishman. EPA -
Jamal Lewis – 6. Like Manquillo, was forced to defend for most of the 90 minutes but was able to get forward for Newcastle’s occasional attack. Getty Images -
Jacob Murphy – 5. A tough day for the winger who struggled to make much of an impact during a match that saw his side limited to less than 30 per cent possession. EPA -
Isaac Hayden – 6. Booked for a rash challenge on Kovacic and blazed an effort over the bar, although he was deemed offside. Reuters -
Sean Longstaff – 6. Came inches away from a goal of the season contender but his long ranger effort clattered off the crossbar. Beyond that, his contribution was minimal. AP -
Allan Saint-Maximin – 6. Looked Newcastle’s most likely player to haul his team back into the game with his trickery and direct running but nothing quite came off the for the Frenchman. Replaced on 73 minutes. PA -
Joelinton – 5. Starved of service and never looked like troubling the Chelsea goal. He will certainly have easier days but his lack of goals should be a worry. EPA -
SUBS: Fabian Schar (45’) – 7. Came on to replace the injured Lascelles and slotted well into the backline. AFP -
Almiron (65’) – 5. In the news for the wrong reasons this week after a hostile exchange between his agent and Steve Bruce, the Paraguayan couldn’t take his chance off the bench to create more positive headlines. AFP -
Andy Carroll (74’) – 6. Had a half-chance when played through but his glaring lack of pace was exposed. Won a couple of headers as standard. Getty Images -
CHELSEA PLAYER RATINGS: Edouard Mendy – 7. Another match in a Chelsea shirt, another clean sheet for the new signing. Didn’t have to make any spectacular saves but used his anticipation to clear up loose balls and commanded his area well. PA -
Reece James – 8. Every game his influence just seems to grow. Solid in defence and a constant presence going forward, James was unfortunate not to get his name on the assists column with a couple of whipping low crosses. AFP -
Ben Chilwell – 7. A quiet game from the England left-back but still got himself into attacking positions, most notably to apply the pressure to force the own goal, and handled his defensive duties comfortably. Getty Images -
Kurt Zouma – 7. The Frenchman has formed a formidable partnership with Thiago Silva this season, and even in the Brazilian’s absence he maintained his authority. Absolutely dominant in the air and never looked troubled. Reuters -
Antonio Rudiger – 8. Demoted to back-up since Silva’s arrival, Rudiger took his chance to impress with a superb display. The German was commanding at the heart of Chelsea’s defence – tracking runs, producing blocks, and providing an assured presence. Reuters -
N’Golo Kante – 8. Back in his preferred role at the base of the midfield, Kante was the best midfielder on the pitch, breaking up play and driving the ball forward. His positional sense is just so good and he was always in control. Reuters -
Mateo Kovacic – 6. A more subdued display from the Croatian midfielder who is so often the driving force of this Chelsea team. Played his part in ensuring his team dominated possession. AP -
Mason Mount – 7. Should have done better with his finish in the second half after a lovely turn to create the chance. But an overall good performance from the England international. Reuters -
Hakim Ziyech – 7. A rare outing without a goal or assist and started the game with a few wayward passes, but as the game went on the Moroccan’s influence grew. Drifted across the attack, always looked to be on the ball, and played probing passes. Not a vintage Ziyech display but his quality was evident. PA -
Timo Werner – 7. May have fluffed a handful of chances but made amends with a driving run and assist to create Chelsea’s second goal. Caused all sorts of problems for the Newcastle defence, who would have been relieved the German didn’t have his shooting boots on at St James’ Park. AFP -
Tammy Abraham – 8. Took his goal with cool composure and a great finish but even his goal aside, had a very good game. He led the line with authority by winning headers and creating space for his teammates and was frequently in the box. AP -
SUBS: Callum Hudson-Odoi (76’) – 6. Looked lively during his cameo and was in the mood to cause some problems with his dribbling and movement. Ran out of time to make a tangible impact. Getty Images -
Emerson (82’) – N/A Reuters -
Olivier Giroud (87’) – N/A EPA
