Lampard insists Chelsea have options if Abraham is ruled out

Frank Lampard believes Chelsea can cope without Tammy Abraham after the talisman striker suffered an ankle injury scare in the 2-2 draw with 10-man Arsenal.Abraham hobbled off the Stamford Bridge turf at full-time as Chelsea failed to capitalise on old boy David Luizs red card, thwarted by Hector Bellerins late equaliser.Cesar Azpilicueta thought he had scrambled Chelsea to victory with a neat finish only to see Bellerin steal a share of the spoils, after Gabriel Martinellis breakaway goal had cancelled out Jorginhos penalty.Tammy Abraham, right, is fouled by David Luiz for Chelseas first-half penalty (Bradley Collyer/PA)Abraham boasts 13 Premier League goals for Chelsea in his breakthrough top-flight campaign with the Blues, but boss Lampard insists his side could cope even if the England star faces a spell on the sidelines.Asked for the severity of Abrahams injury, Lampard replied: He has had ice on his ankle, but I havent spoken to him yet so I dont know.When asked if Chelsea could cope without Abraham, who has 13 Premier League goals this term, Lampard said: Yes, yes; and we have the players there to do that.I hope hes not (out for several weeks) but then if he is, then yes we do have the players.Chelsea boss Lampard refused to dampen down links to want-away Paris St Germain striker Edinson Cavani on Monday, and injury to Abraham could increase the Blues need to recruit a striker in the January window.Frank Lampard saw Chelsea pegged back (Gareth Fuller/PA)Olivier Giroud wants to join Inter Milan to link back up with ex-Blues boss Antonio Conte, while Chelsea also have Michy Batshuayi as their other frontline striker.Lampard reiterated Chelsea are more likely to look at loan deals than permanent transfers this month, as he plots his long-term strategy at the club.I know and I feel where we need strengthening, said Lampard.Its not going to be just January, this is more of a short-term window for us.This season has given us some answers on the pitch in where we need to improve. But thats not so much for this window.The points are shared.#CHEARS pic.twitter.com/FHoupPgBcV Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 21, 2020Lamenting his sides inability to seal victory against Arsenals 10 men, Lampard added: At that point when you go 2-1 up, youve got to get the basics right.The second goal was soft, its soft for a right-back to cut inside and roll it into the far corner. We have to be honest about that.Arsenal boss Arteta revealed he almost substituted goalscorer Gabriel Martinelli when pondering a defensive rejig in the wake of Luizs red card.The former Gunners midfielder admitted his relief at holding his nerve and allowing the 18-year-old Brazilian to stay on the field.Mikel Arteta shows his emotion on the touchline (Bradley Collyer/PA)I was thinking about taking Martinelli off, I was thinking about that but I changed my mind, said Arteta.I was thinking about that, and then I thought I dont want to send that message to the team. I wanted to keep us as we were and give us a chance.I asked the players to be accountable for what they do. So it was a great response from them.To play in this stadium the way he has, and with 10 men for us, its fantastic, especially against Azpilicueta who I think is one of the best full-backs in the league.(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
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