W
hen Frank
Lampard
was
appointed
Chelsea
manager
in 2019,
he might have known that his tenure
would ultimately end with his sacking.
After all, few people have a better
understanding of Roman Abramovich’s
running of the club than Lampard: only
John Terry has played more games for
the Blues since they were bought by
the Russian in 2003.
Indeed, as an example of just how
ruthless the corridors of power at
Stamford Bridge can be, the third
player on that list, Petr Cech, now
a technical adviser at the club, was
a key figure in the decision to sack
his former team-mate of ten years.
“When I took on this role I
understood the challenges that lay
ahead in a difficult time for the football
club,” Lampard said in a statement after
departing the club. “I am proud of the
achievements that we made, and I am
proud of the academy players that
have made their step into the first
team and performed so well.”
Ultimately, Lampard was a victim
of the club’s improved fortunes. The
job he took in 2019 was completely
different to the one that faced him
in 2020-21.
When he arrived, talisman Eden
Hazard had just departed for Real
Madrid and the club were facing
a transfer embargo. The only new
additions to the squad were to come
from youth: Tammy Abraham, Mason
Mount, ReeceJames and Fikayo
Tomori returned from successful loans
in the Championship, with Christian
Pulisic the only new face, having agreed
to join from Borussia Dortmund the
previousJanuary.
Their academy, widely regarded as
one of the best in Europe, had not
produced a regular first-team player
since Terry. Yet with the club’s all-time
top scorer assisted byJody Morris, the
man who had overseen so much of
the youth team’s success, it seemed,
that a new era was ready to begin at
Chelsea.
In finishing fourth and reaching the
FA Cup final, Lampard did not achievemiracles in his only full season. This,
after all, was a team that had finished
third the year before and won the
Europa League, while their 7-1
aggregate defeat to Bayern Munich in
the second round of the Champions
League indicated that there was plenty
of work to do. Nevertheless, he
achieved the club’s primary target- Champions League qualification –
and successfully integrated several
young players into the squad.
Yet in doing so, he well may have
caused his own demise.
Chelsea announced their return to
the Champions League by spending
well over £200 million on Hakim
Ziyech, Timo Werner, Ben Chilwell,
Thiago Silva, Kai Havertz and Edouard
Mendy. Over the course of one
summer, the nature of Lampard’s job
was transformed from developing a
young and exciting group, to
overseeing one of the most expensively
assembled squads in Europe.
As always, when spending goes
up, patience goes down. Lampard
struggled to get to grips with his new
charges, experimenting with new
systems and formations, and results
suffered. He was relieved of his duties
onJanuary 25, following a run of one
win in five Premier League games, withthe team ninth in the table. It is fair
to say that a manager without
Lampard’s playing CV at Stamford
Bridge may not have lasted so long.
Chelsea acted with the haste of a
club that had been plotting a change
for some weeks, officially appointing
Thomas Tuchel on an18-month
contract the very next day.
It has not been a universally popular
appointment. The reaction on social
media suggests that there is a divide
between the global fan base, who
had become frustrated by the team’sUltimately, Lampard was a victim
of the club’s improved fortunes.
The job he took in 2019 was
completely different to the one that
faced him in 2020-21Chelsea
Roman Abramovich hires his 11th full-time manager since 2003
Headliners
In Frank We Trust...
a fans’ banner during
Lampard’s final match
in charge, a 3-1 FA
Cup win over LutonPedigree...Tuchel
won six trophies with
PSG and reached last
season’s Champions
League final