Away from the flashing cameras and drying ink, Frank Lampard and his staff eyed another path to victory. As Marina Granovskaia oversaw £220million of summer surgery to Chelsea’s squad, they burrowed for more agricultural gains.
‘Last year we weren’t happy that we conceded too many goals from set-pieces,’ Lampard explained after the 4-1 win over Sheffield United. ‘We looked at it over the off-season.’
When the count finally stopped it didn’t make for pretty reading: during Lampard’s first term, Chelsea shipped 15 Premier League goals from dead-ball situations. Only three teams had a worse record, all of whom finished in the bottom four.