Frank Lampard has gotten off to a fine start and made a good impression in his first season as Chelsea boss.having set his sights on capping an impressive first season as Chelsea manager by leading the Blues to FA Cup glory against Arsenal on Saturday.
Lampard enjoyed a spectacular career with the Blues and enjoyed four FA Cup final victories as a Chelsea player, but getting his hands on the first trophy of his nascent managerial career would be an even more significant moment for the 42-year-old.
Having led Chelsea into next season’s Champions League via a top four finish in the Premier League, Lampard heads to Wembley riding the crests of the waves brimming with optimism and positive vibes.
It is a testament to Lampard’s acumen that, in just his second season as a manager, he has Chelsea already dangereously positioned as an emerging force just 12 months after the club was in turmoil.
After one season as boss of second tier Derby, Lampard arrived at Stamford Bridge in June 2019 carrying the good wishes of supporters who idolised him during his glittering 13-year spell with the club.
Understandably many pundits where in doubt whether Lampard was the right man to get Chelsea back on track following the turbulent reign of Maurizio Sarri who had fallen out with several of Chelsea’s stars, alienating them with his monotonous training regime and inflexible tactics.
Lampard succeeded in fixing the fractures in Chelsea’s dressing room which wasn’t the only problem he faced as he also had to deal with the club’s transfer ban last summer and the sale of Belgium playmaker Eden Hazard to Real Madrid. Which would have been a daunting situation even for an experienced boss, but Lampard rose brilliantly to the challenge.
“There were a lot of unknowns when I came in, could we move forward without Eden Hazard? We knew we had lost a massive player,” Lampard said.
“We’ve a real spirit within the group now and it’s a real team effort now.”
With his hands tied by the transfer embargo, Lampard was reluctantly compelled to give some of the club’s youngsters a chance to prove their worth which turned out to be a blessing in disguise as they responded so tenaciously and with such verve that it was a fitting tribute to Lampard’s galvanising influence.
The unbounded energy and vibrant optimism provided by youngsters Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, Reece James, Billy Gilmour and Fikayo Tomori gave the entire club a jolt of fresh adrenaline.
Then came the swaggering 5-2 win at Wolves in September that served ample noticing advance that Lampard and his young prodigies are not out of their depth, while a least expected showing in the Champions League with a 1-0 win over Ajax showed they could capably handle Europe’s elite.
Lampard’s Midas touch hasn’t been restricted to only the young guns either as he coaxed consistency from Willian and brought Olivier Giroud back into the fold after the French striker had appeared set to leave in January having been exiled in the first half of the season. Giroud’s prolific form has been riveting since the coronavirus hiatus with seven goals in 10 matches in all competitions, playing a key role in Chelsea holding onto their top four berth.
“What we’ve done this season is take the opportunity to bring in the younger players and improve the existing players,” Lampard said.
At a club where owner Roman Abramovich rules with an iron hand dispensing with managers in ruthless fashion, Lampard stuck resolutely to his guns and has shown he wasn’t intimidated by twice dropping error-prone goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga despite the club’s fears it could harm his future transfer value.
Most recently Lampard’s furious response to perceived antagonism from Liverpool’s coaching staff during their recent clash at Anfield again showed he isn’t in the mood or frame of mind to be trifled with.
While Chelsea’s progress under Lampard has been undeniable, they still lost 12 times in the league for only the second time since Abramovich bought the club in 2003.
Saddled with the responsibility to fix Chelsea’s defensive frailties and often frustrated by their lack of cutting edge, Lampard has been busy in the transfer market and more new signings are on the way.
Lampard’s Leipzig striker Timo Werner and Ajax playmaker Hakim Ziyech are expected to hit the ground running next season. He has also been linked with Manchester United keeper Dean Henderson, West Ham’s Declan Rice and Bayer Leverkusen’s Kai Havertz as he tries to bridge the 33-point gap to Liverpool.
“The challenge now is to see what more we can do next season,” Lampard said.