Denis Zakaria acknowledged that Chelsea’s performance was below par during their Premier League game against Brighton.
He expressed his sympathy for the fans who may have been disappointed with the team’s display.
Additionally, Zakaria mentioned that Frank Lampard, the interim coach, had shared some candid feedback with the squad following the defeat, but he did not disclose the details of their conversation.
Zakaria also cautioned the team that they needed to step up their game significantly if they hoped to overturn their 2-0 deficit against Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final and advance to the semi-finals.
He emphasized that their performance against Brighton was not good enough and that they needed to improve substantially to have any chance of success.
“Yes, I think it is good [that Lampard is honest] because we need more. We are not good. It is tough. It is difficult and we feel bad for the fans because we cannot play like that. It is tough and we have to do better. It is hard.
“We are now going to do everything we can to come through the game against Real Madrid and win this game. We will give everything until the end.”
Having arrived on loan from Juventus last summer, the Swiss midfielder has only played in 11 games for Chelsea so far. Against Brighton, he was included in the starting eleven for the first time since January.
Chelsea has not been victorious in their last six matches across all competitions and is currently experiencing a three-match losing streak.
In their upcoming fixture on Tuesday, Frank Lampard’s team will play Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final encounter.
