MX23RW : Monday, July 1 15:13:19| >> :120:9720:9720:

Frank Lampard warns under-fire Kepa Arrizabalaga that he must improve

Stopper has been told to improve.

Frank Lampard has warned Kepa Arrizabalaga he has to improve his patchy form at Chelsea.

The Chelsea boss insisted the Spain goalkeeper has admitted his individual mistakes have directly cost the Blues, and challenged the 25-year-old to sharpen up.

Kepa should have saved Isaac Hayden's header that stole Newcastle a 1-0 victory in injury time on January 18, while he could not even lay a glove on Hector Bellerin's late equaliser in Tuesday's 2-2 draw with Arsenal.

The former Athletic Bilbao star currently boasts the unwanted tag of the lowest save percentage in the Premier League, and Lampard has told him to go back to basics to return to top form.

"Well he will have to deal with outside criticism; that is what football is," said Lampard.

"Every player, no matter great you are in your career, the best, the absolute best of all time will get criticised and you have to deal with it.

"I think with Kepa he knows, he'll be honest that there have been some mistakes that have cost us goals.

"It is the nature of it, so that needs to improve. Goalkeepers may have slightly more spotlight on them, but it is a similar thing, really. I think the important thing for that is not to get too embroiled in what is said on the outside and look at your own game.

"It is always the basics, how hard can I work. That's not just for Kepa, but for any player.

"If you feel in a lack of form, fight to get it back. Go back to basics."

Chelsea have been linked with a move for Burnley's Nick Pope in the January window, but Lampard insisted he is not seeking to add another body between the sticks this month.

Asked if he wanted to recruit another goalkeeper, Lampard added: "I am not looking at it now. I am not affected by criticism from the outside as much. I am aware of it, not affected by it."

Lampard also said he is not interested in a move for Lille's France Under-21 midfielder Boubakary Soumare.

"I'm aware of him as a player, but he is not on our radar for this window," said Lampard.

"We played against him, but he is not one on the immediate radar. He is a good player, but he is another club's player."

ID:387353: cacheID:387353:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3722:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Liverpool's Jordan Henderson celebrates after the match on January 23, 2020
Read Next:
PL Team of the Week - Henderson, Perez, Kean
>
rhs 2.0
Euro 2024 fixtures header
Monday, July 1
 
5pm
 
8pm
Tuesday, July 2
 
8pm
Friday, July 5
 
5pm
Quarter-Finals
Spain
vs.
Germany
Saturday, July 6
 
5pm
Tuesday, July 9
Wednesday, July 10
Sunday, July 14
Tables header RHS

Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Germany Germany32107
Q Switzerland Switzerland31205
3 Hungary Hungary31023
4 Scotland flag Scotland30121

Group B

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Spain Spain33009
Q Italy Italy31114
3 Croatia Croatia30212
4 Albania national flag Albania30121

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
Q England flag England31205
Q Denmark Denmark30303
Q Slovenia Slovenia30303
4 Serbia Serbia30212

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Austria Austria32016
Q France France31205
Q Netherlands Netherlands31114
4 Poland Poland30121

Group E

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Romania Romania31114
Q Belgium Belgium31114
Q Slovakia Slovakia31114
4 Ukraine Ukraine31114

Group F

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Portugal Portugal32016
Q Turkey Turkey32016
Q Georgia Georgia31114
4 Czech Republic Czech Republic30121


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!