Former Chelsea star believes one Blues player will struggle under interim boss Frank Lampard

Former Chelsea right-back Mario Melchiot has suggested that Kepa Arrizabalaga will struggle to work under interim boss Frank Lampard.

Arrizabalaga, 28, has been the Blues' first-choice goalkeeper for the majority of the campaign. Since replacing Eduoard Mendy last September under former manager Graham Potter, he has registered 12 clean sheets in 29 overall appearances in the ongoing 2022-23 season.

However, Arrizabalaga's first-team chances could be affected by Lampard's recent appointment as he was demoted to the bench during the Englishman's prior stint at Stamford Bridge. He was also less than complimentary about his new boss' tactics last June. He told MARCA:

"We came from a not so elaborate game [with Lampard]. We didn't have to take the ball from behind, a less planned game, more about the free expression of the player, back and forth and less control of the game. With [Thomas] Tuchel we have returned to control. It is true that in the Premier League we were not close to the top two, but in other tournaments we were very competitive."

Speaking on ESPN FC, Melchiot shared his thoughts on Arrizabalaga and his first-team opportunities under the helm of Lampard. He said:

"You know how hard it will be for Kepa to be in the dressing room? You had a go at your coach and that coach comes back and now you have to sit with him. I don't know what Kepa is going to do. I want to give advice to any footballer: never talk about your coach in public, always do it directly. You might meet him again."

Arrizabalaga produced a fine outing in Chelsea's 0-0 Premier League draw against Liverpool last Tuesday. However, Mendy was back among the subs for the contest and could be in line for his first start in a month in his team's upcoming away clash at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Mark Lawrenson offers his prediction ahead of Chelsea's PL clash at Molineux Stadium

In his Paddy Power column, Liverpool great Mark Lawrenson predicted a 1-1 draw between Chelsea and Wolves on Saturday. He wrote:

"Chelsea should have beaten Liverpool, Liverpool were all over the place for half an hour. It looks like Frank Lampard's coming back and it's great for him, he can't lose with that arrangement. Wolves are down with the dead men and can't score so I'll go for a draw."

The Blues are currently struggling in 11th place with just 39 points from 29 matches, a whopping 14 points off the much-coveted fourth place.

Wolves are winless in their last four Premier League games against Chelsea, having last beaten them at Molineux in December 2020.