For a Chelsea fan, and a Frank Lampard fan, it’s hard to know how to react to the confirmation that, at 41, he is the new manager of Chelsea. On one hand, it feels like the obvious choice. On the other it feels like a big mistake. It’s exciting. And unsettling. It’s a feel-good story, laced with a mild sense of dread at how quickly it could all unravel.
The positive vibes are obvious. If you wanted to build a prototype personality for ‘young, ambitious manager with the propensity to be successful’ you’d probably start and finish with Frank. He’s bright, articulate, honest, knowledgable and well-liked. Remember those stories you’d hear (most frequently from Harry Redknapp) of him training on his own as it got dark, improving his heading and passing long after all his teammates were home playing FIFA? It’s the Lampard origin story and there is little doubt that he has what it takes to be a good, even great, manager one day. The question is whether that day will come soon enough.
He’s obviously got the status too. Thirteen years at Chelsea, the club’s all-time top scorer, Mourinho’s favourite who watched each coach he played under like a gold-star apprentice, a genuine club legend integral to every trophy won, loved by fans and players alike, and now the first English manager since Glenn Hoddle in 1993, when Chelsea’s current trophy-winning era can be traced.
In the context of the disengaged Sarri and Conte, he offers a direct link to supporters at a moment when that feels as necessary as it ever has.
Much has also been made in recent years of the player power in Chelsea’s dressing room that has reportedly foiled many of his predecessors, Conte and Sarri included. On the face of it Frank’s closeness to the current squad will surely be an asset. With Jody Morris as his assistant he also brings a direct link to an obscenely talented youth squad as well, who have so far been underused and could prove crucial in the coming season in light of the club’s current transfer ban.
But after just one year at Derby where he got to the play-off final but his tactical nous came into question and selection choices were also criticised, he is obviously a work in progress as a coach. As anyone would be at this stage in their career. And is Chelsea the place to go for a coach to learn on the job? It would have been hard for him to say no, of course, and who knows when or even if these opportunities come again. But it’s hard not to think that the smart choice might have been to complete his apprenticeship before saying yes to the job that could make or break his career.
And conditions at Chelsea next season look to be particularly daunting. Eden Hazard will clearly leave an immense hole, not just in goals and assists but as a figurehead for the entire squad and how they play. His departure will require a total tactical rebuild. With no way of bringing players in, Lampard will need to integrate youth players into an ageing senior squad while keeping existing ‘stars’ happy, and improving players individually through one on one coaching. Even experienced coaches might baulk at the scale of the task ahead. Lampard of course will back himself, but for how long?
Sarri was unpopular and seen by many as an underachiever and yet Chelsea finished third and won the Europa Cup. What is Lampard expected to achieve? Has he been tasked with chasing down City and Liverpool? If so, how soon will the pressure build and his legend status count for little. This is Chelsea of course, where managers are traditionally processed and moved on with all the sensitivity of nightclub door staff. And the big fear is what impact such an experience might have on him, his career and his – ‘L’ word alert – ‘legacy’.
Of course, it’s possible that Lampard’s appointment marks a genuine change in approach from the Chelsea powers-that-be. That with this choice the club has taken a decision to change its short-termist approach and rebuild the squad – and the club - with Frank at the helm. History of course suggests otherwise but if so, Lampard’s decision could yet prove to be the right one.
Like this article? Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox
