Lampard: European title kept us together

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard believes last season's Champions League success saved many players from being shown the exit at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues saw off Bayern Munich in May's final to deliver owner Roman Abramovich the one bit of silverware he desperately wanted - a European title.

And Lampard admits the Champions League victory helped save the club from a summer of sweeping changes.

"If we had gone out of the Champions League, God knows what would have happened. Looking back, there probably would have been wholesale changes," he told The Times.

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