FRANK LAMPARD says Chelsea have paid the price for failing to replace key players.
Diego Costa and Nemanja Matic were both allowed to leave Stamford Bridge last summer for Atletico Madrid and Manchester United respectively.
Now boss Antonio Conte is set to follow them out the door, a year after leading the club to the Premier League trophy.
And Blues legend Lampard can see no end to the boom-and-bust cycle of the Roman Abramovich era, which has brought 13 major trophies since his 2004 takeover.
Lampard, who will be part of the BBC team covering the World Cup in Russia, said: “It has worked. There are many ways to success.
“There’s been a huge investment and I’m delighted to have been part of a golden era at the club.
“Fortunately, when Roman Abramovich came in, the landscape changed and managers have changed.
“Of course you look for a bit of stability, a feel that you don’t win a league and then come down, which is what has happened in the last few years. But the competition is so hard.
FA CUT Chelsea boss Antonio Conte admits he could guide Blues to FA Cup win against Manchester United and still get sacked
“I can’t sit here and say Chelsea should have been in the top four because, you know what, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham and Liverpool, they should be in the top four too. Of course, Chelsea don’t want to drop out of that top four.
“But the reality is that if you don’t reach your standards, you don’t move on as a team.
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“Chelsea lost big players last summer and haven’t quite replaced them — then things move on around you.”
Alvaro Morata has really struggled, proving no substitute for Costa up front.
And neither flop Tiemoue Bakayoko or injury-hit Danny Drinkwater have been able to fill the Matic-shape hole alongside N’Golo Kante in the Chelsea midfield.
Today’s FA Cup final brings the last chance for a bit of redemption.
Lampard added: “A club like Chelsea, the same as Manchester United, don’t like seasons without silverware.
“That is testament to the club, that it has pushed to get into that situation.
“When you know it’s been a disappointing season — which it obviously has been for Chelsea, outside the top four and having not reached the heights of last season — this can really claim something for them as a club, as players and for the fans.
“It’s a massive day against a big rival.”
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