Lampard insists missing out on the Premiership and Champions League will make Chelsea the hungrier side in the FA Cup final against Manchester United.
LONDON: Frank Lampard insists missing out on the Premiership and Champions League will make Chelsea the hungrier side in Saturday's FA Cup final against Manchester United.
Jose Mourinho's team are still smarting from a miserable end of season slump that saw them surrender the title to United and suffer a European semi-final exit against Liverpool.
A campaign that at one stage promised an unprecedented quadruple will end with just the League Cup sitting in the Stamford Bridge trophy room if Lampard and company lose to United on Saturday.
That dispiriting prospect is all the motivation the England midfielder needs to dredge up one final effort at Wembley.
"We have still got the fire in our bellies," Lampard said.
"That is what we are going to hopefully show on Saturday because that is what Chelsea are all about.
"That is what you have to do. It is not about talking about it. This game will not mean necessarily we have got the best squad. United will probably say they have.
"If we win it would be another mark for us but they have won the league this year and we are not bitter about that, I am not bitter about that.
"At the end of the day the best team wins the league and they deserved to win the league. But we have had our problems and I can still say that.
"That game on Saturday is a one-off we hope to win and then we have got the medal we haven't had as a group yet."
Injuries to Ricardo Carvalho, Michael Ballack, Andriy Shevchenko and John Obi Mikel have left Mourinho with yet another selection headache at the end of an injury-ravaged season for the Blues.
But Lampard is determined to remain positive and said: "You know in the build-up that if you are missing important players you are frustrated, both as a team and for the players themselves.
"But if you put those excuses in your mind before you start then you have got problems."
With Ballack failing to live up to his lofty reputation, Lampard has had to shoulder a heavy burden in the Chelsea engine room. The former West Ham star has enjoyed another impressive campaign without attracting much praise, but he is happy to stay in the shadows.
"I feel I have played well," he said.
"My goal tally is the best I have ever had. It is not all about goals but the problem probably is that when you have done it for a few years then people do not get so excited about it. Maybe people take it for granted but it doesn't concern me."
If Chelsea do win the Cup, Lampard won't be too concerned if Roman Abramovich misses the celebrations. Abramovich was a regular visitor to Chelsea's dressing room until this season, but since his dispute with Mourinho, the club's Russian owner has often stayed away.
"You know what, I don't mind," Lampard said. "For me, so much gets made out of whether the owner is here or not. He has every right to be wherever he wants.
"What he has given to the club is amazing and I think people should stop analysing his every move because he has been great for us."
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