Lampard eyes ´Holy Grail´

Chelsea may be struggling for form in the English Premier League, but Frank Lampard has his sights set on European glory this season.

Lampard and Chelsea have come agonisingly close to Champions League success in the past six years, with five semi-finals and one final appearance, but they have fallen short on every occasion.

While rediscovering their best form in the league remains the priority, Lampard admits that he has one eye on continental competition, with Chelsea up against FC Copenhagen in the round of 16 in February.

“I have won three leagues and quite a lot of the group have won one or more,” Lampard told Chelsea TV.

“But we have been so close to the Champions League, it does become a bit of a Holy Grail and I think the fans feel that.”

“It is huge but it is such a difficult competition to win.”

“Every year, you play group games before Christmas and you start again in February and you might have injuries or you might be losing form.

“We played Inter Milan last year at a time when we were down, so there are so many little bits that have to come together for you to win it and that is what we are waiting for, that final little bit that we have missed.”

“Look at us in the league last year. We were on a run at the end, beating teams by six or seven goals and if we could have translated that into the Champions League last year, if we had got through those Inter Milan game and gone on and played the way we were playing at the end of the season, I think we would have won the Champions League.”

“I really believe that because we were playing so well, so it is about form and fitness. You need your big players.”

“You can’t win the Champions League without your big boys, simple as that, no team can.”