Frank Lampard has warned his Chelsea team to manage their matches better ahead of the “cut-throat” Champions League campaign.
The Blues face Europa League holders Sevilla in their Group E opener at Stamford Bridge tonight, hoping to bounce back from a 3-3 draw with Southampton in which they let a 2-0 lead slip.
After conceding the equaliser late in injury time, Lampard wants better game management.
He says: “I am certainly not trying to play brave football in the dying moments of the game.
“I don’t think the players did that enough, we tried to play too much.
And against a team like Sevilla in the toughest club competition, Lampard says his manne can’t afford to make the same mistakes.
He adds: “That’s the Champions League; it’s the top club competition in world football. They will be better for it; they will want to improve this year in that. We will see how much they have learned.
“We generally have younger players so it’s important we try and make sure we learn any lessons as we go because the Champions League is so cut-throat.
“You have to have absolute focus... and particularly against Sevilla.”
Tonight’s Champions League fixtures
Chelsea v Sevilla (9pm)
Dynamo Kiev v Juventus (6.55pm)
Zenit v Club Brugge (6.55pm)
Rennes v Krasnodar (9pm)
Lazio v Borussia Dortmund (9pm)
Barcelona v Ferencvaros (9pm)
RB Leipzig v Istanbul Basaksehir (9pm)