Reports: 2 Chelsea players regularly clashed in training during Frank Lampard’s tenure

Frank Lampard was sacked by Chelsea on Monday after a tumultuous run of form in the Premier League, and it appears that his time at Stamford Bridge was marred by quite a few issues behind-the-scenes.

According to GiveMeSport, Antonio Rudiger had numerous quarrels with Chelsea skipper Cesar Azpilicueta at the club’s Cobham training ground in recent times. It is safe to say that the Blues training ground was not the most peaceful of places under Lampard’s reign.

The German defender joined Chelsea in the summer of 2017 and quickly established himself as a first-team regular. However, since the arrival of Lampard, Rudiger has struggled to break into the starting eleven. This season, he has played second fiddle to the pair of Kurt Zouma and Thiago Silva for the majority of the games but did start ahead of the Frenchman in three of the last four games.

Cesar Azpilicueta joined the Blues in 2012 and was handed the armband before the start of the 2019/20 campaign. The Spaniard has been a faithful servant to Chelsea and is also one of their longest-serving players. The Blues have been under constant stress this season due to a series of underwhelming results, and Azpilicueta had tried to ease the tension between the players during training. However, his actions had infuriated Rudiger and the two players had clashed on quite a few occasions as a result.

🔹 Sacked in 9am meeting 🔹 Didn't say goodbye to players🔹 Players told not to go to training via Whatsapp 🔹 Lampard gracious throughout 🔹 Players told in meeting in Marina Granovskaia

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 26, 2021

Chelsea’s poor performances had seen them drop down to ninth in the table after 19 games. Lampard was not afforded the time to turn things around at Stamford Bridge, with club owner Roman Abramovich’s infamous lack of patience with managers coming into play. However, it now appears that there were quite a few problems at Stamford Bridge beside the team’s lack of form on the pitch

Chelsea training ground riddled with issues during Lampard's reign

Arsenal FC v Chelsea FC - Premier League

Lampard’s preferences for youngsters during his tenure also caused some unrest in the dressing room. The young players reportedly complained about the treatment they received from the old guard, who were least pleased with their reduced roles.

Antonio Rüdiger reportedly ‘clashed’ with Cesar Azpilicueta on more than one occasion, as Chelsea’s captain tried to ease tensions between certain groups of players at the club. Thank you, @CesarAzpi. Disgraceful behaviour from some members of this squad. pic.twitter.com/e5XnM82HR6

— LDN (@LDNFootbalI) January 25, 2021

It is not clear whether the two incidents have any connection, but it appears that the Chelsea training ground has been riddled with issues of late. It means that any incoming manager would have to deal with more than just a bad run of the form once he takes charge at Stamford Bridge. With Abramovich’s clamor for instant results, Lampard’s successor will certainly have to hit the ground running immediately.