Lampard insists Chelsea not 'broken' as Boehly addresses squad ahead of Real Madrid clash

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard put on a brave face as he insisted his team is not "broken" as co-owner Todd Boehly addressed the squad, ahead of their Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid.

Chelsea trail Real Madrid 2-0 after losing the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu and enter Tuesday's clash on the back of a six-match winless run. Interim manager Lampard has now lost his first three games in charge.

The Blues are 17 points off the top four despite spending more than €600 million on new players. As things stand, winning the Champions League is the club's only realistic chance of qualifying for the competition next season.

There were reports that an upset Boehly entered the dressing room after the recent loss to Brighton & Hove Albion to talk to the squad. Lampard said he understood the situation.

"I think there was some criticism of our old owner (Roman Abramovich) for not coming to games and being around. That wasn't always true, to be fair," he said.

"When an owner is invested in helping the team, it is their prerogative to have the input they want. I'm not going to say what he (Boehly) said but it's normal when he comes to the changing room."

Chelsea are in a similar situation to when they finished sixth in the league in 2011-12 – with Lampard a player at the club – but qualified for the Champions League after winning the competition.

"We are not where we want to be. I think the word 'broken' is a bit much. The league position is reality and we are 2-0 down (in this tie)," Lampard said on Monday.

"We have to work against that, I don't think anything that happens tomorrow will be better than when we won the Champions League (in 2012).

"It's down to us as a team to play with desire and know-how to turn