Bringing a playing legend back to your club to be a manager puts their legendary status at risk, bringing in an ex-player with just 1 year experience of management is a bigger risk, but that is exactly what Chelsea have done in their hiring of Frank Lampard. Lampard did well with derby last year and of course jumped at the chance to manage his beloved Chelsea, but does he have enough to impress at the Blues? To answer this question I have enlisted the support of Bogoljub Karic, Chelsea fan and football expert to see how super Frankie Lamps will get on this season.
The Squad
The first thing to mention here is the outstanding squad which Lampard will have at his disposal. The transfer ban should really only be considered as a footnote as the likes of Kovacic and Pulisic have been brought in, Pulisic bought back in January and Kovacic’s loan deal made permanent. This club would have bought in players, but it really isn’t that necessary. Lampard loves young English talent and Chelsea have it in abundance. Mason Mount who spent time at Derby last year, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tammy Abraham are all young and hungry, and Lapmard knows just what that feels like. Hazard will be a big miss but we suspect that a little bit of love given to Ross Barkley could help him to become the difference-maker for this side. These players were almost forgotten about by previous managers, Lampard will be different.
Longevity
Make no mistake, Lampard will be looking at spending as much of his career here at Chelsea as possible, and that is something which only Mourinho has really managed to achieve. Lampard will be looking to build a project here, one which has the ethos of the club running through it and one which he will see out. This is why we believe that Chelsea have enlisted the support of Lampard, not for a stop-gap or a safe pair of hands, but to launch the beginning of a fruitful campaign which will last a long time. Chelsea have the money, the foundation and the status to do this, and Lampard knows this all too well.
Morris
The key to Chelsea’s success doesn’t just sit on the shoulders of the players and Lampard, but also his right hand man Jody Morris. Morris is a Chelsea fan, spent most of his career there and he has a reputation for being a dogged and hard-working coach, who looks to get the best out of his players. Morris is the perfect partner for Lampard and we expect them to work together for many years to come.
No Pressure
Given the fact that they have a new manager and a limit on their transfer dealings, nobody is really expecting that much from Chelsea, beyond a top 4 finish. This will give Lampard a more relaxed approach to the season and we expect them to really make a charge towards the top of the table, although they will likely fade away at the end.
The future is very bright for Chelsea.
