New Chelsea manager Frank Lampard holds the Chelsea shirt as he is announced as new manager of ... [+]
When Frank Lampard first joined Chelsea, he was seen as an exciting, up-and-coming manager with a reasonable, albeit short, managerial record. This week, he begins his second spell in charge of the Blues in very different circumstances.
Chelsea are in a worse league position now than when Frank Lampard left the club, while Lampard’s reputation has taken a massive hit at Everton this season, who despite a resurgence under Lampard’s replacement Sean Dyche, still look in real danger of relegation.
Lampard’s appointment at Chelsea this time around seems a real surprise, with his recent spell at Goodison Park nowhere near good enough to warrant such a high-profile job.
But a return to Stamford Bridge also offers Lampard a free chance to boost his reputation and make himself an attractive option for other Premier League sides this summer.
A fourth-place finish is already out of reach at Chelsea, and the Blues are not really expected to get past Real Madrid in the Champions League. If Chelsea were to finish in mid-table and lose to Real, then that’s basically par-for-the-course at this stage of the season, and the gap between them and Crystal Palace means it is unlikely they will finish any lower than their current 11th place in the Premier League table.
Should Lampard win a few games and reach the Champions League semi-finals or climb up the table to 6th or 7th, then that would go some way toward making him a viable candidate for future Premier League jobs.
Who knows? Perhaps he could emulate Roberto Di Matteo, who was appointed caretaker manager of Chelsea in March 2012 and went on to win the Champions League that season.
In some respects, Lampard’s second spell at the club resembles the start of his first. That time, he started under a transfer embargo and his fourth place finish was seen as respectable given the circumstances. It also gave him a chance to bring through new young players like Tammy Abraham, Reece James, Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori. In his second season, when the pressure increased, he fell short. But this time around, there is again little pressure on him.
Lampard did well in his first spell at Stamford Bridge by working with young players, which could benefit the current Chelsea squad. It is chock-full of young players who either came through the youth team or were signed on long contracts like Mykhailo Mudryk and Benoit Badiashile. Chelsea broke transfer records this winter, spending in excess of $200 million, but that money was spent on potential, and the Blues are unlikely to see the fruits of that spending until next season or even the season after.
Most of Chelsea’s attacking players are yet to reach their peak age, and having Lampard in charge for these final games of the season could help Chelsea build the foundations of their team for whoever coaches them next season.
Despite Chelsea’s record spending, they are still lacking in key areas. Had previous head coach Graham Potter had a reliable number nine to score all of the chances created, then Chelsea would be much higher up the league. Everton have had the same problem this year with striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin injured for much of the campaign. Unfortunately for Chelsea, Lampard couldn’t find a solution to this problem at Everton.
His appointment might make it seem like new owner Todd Boehly doesn’t have much of a plan, but as a caretaker, Lampard makes sense. He already knows the club and at least some of the players very well, and he is still popular among Chelsea fans. Putting him in charge for the remainder of the season gives Boehly a chance to see how Chelsea’s huge squad performs under a new face while he hunts for a permanent manager in the summer.
As for Lampard, the Chelsea job might be seen as one of the most challenging in soccer, but with nothing to lose from taking the job, Lampard might just have everything to gain.
