Chelsea Legend Frank Lampard Warns Blues Will Need 'Stronger Mentality' to Defend Premier League

Chelsea legend Frank Lampard has warned his former club that they will need a 'stronger mentality' then last season, if they wish to defend their Premier League title. 

The Blues dominated throughout the season finishing the campaign in comfortable fashion after boss Antonio Conte led them to a record 30 wins from 38 matches as well as ending the season on 93 points, the second highest record. 

Lampard has declared that they can retain the title but admitted during an interview with ESPN FC that they will have to make further improvements to the squad and their mental focus. 

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He said: "The mentality has got to improve. Chelsea were seven points clear, 10 points clear for a large part of the back end of last season. Now when you're starting from scratch again, you need an even stronger mentality.

"I'm sure there would have been meetings in preseason between Conte and his players letting them know that. They have be stronger and the squad needs freshening up, which has started to happen and I think will continue to happen.

"Every game becomes tough. Everyone wants to beat the champions and Chelsea are going to find that out again now."

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No side has managed to defend the title since Manchester United in 2009 and - while Lampard was part of the side that completed the feat with Chelsea in 2006 - he stated that the English top flight has become more competitive due to the large investments that teams have recently made in their players.

"It's the most competitive league in the world and it's becoming more competitive as we go on." he added. 

"The investment of all the top teams is changing the landscape and it's not just that the quality of the league as a whole has improved.

"It's harder to win games comfortably and I don't think you're going to see teams have the sort of dominance that Manchester United and Liverpool enjoyed in past years."