The impressive, uplifting reign Thomas Tuchel began with his takeover continued on Tuesday night as Chelsea took a 1-1 draw back to Stamford Bridge in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final with Real Madrid.
There would be few detractors, if any, who’d argue Chelsea were the better side, having control over the Spanish champions for large spells and showing just how far they have come under the German tactician.
Since his takeover from Lampard in January, the Blues have lost just one of their 22 matches, conceding nine goals – five of which came during that befuddling defeat at home to West Brom.
Before the impressive result at Real Madrid, Tuchel refreshingly engineered tactical masterclasses against the likes of Atletico and Man City, steering the Blues towards the top four and an FA Cup final and the Blues are now an intimidating force to be reckoned with in the big games.
Cascarino is of the view that the club’s success clearly vindicates their decision to sack Lampard and appoint Tuchel, insisting the Blues legend wasn’t quite ready for the job at a big club like Chelsea.
Lampard secured Champions League football for the Blues last season and got to an FA Cup final, using a squad built around academy players due to the transfer embargo and departure of star player Eden Hazard.
However in the face of mitigating circumstances, Chelsea conceded too many goals under Lampard, and their 2020/21 campaign was at risk of falling apart befprior to his departure.
Jorginho one of several experienced players reestablishing themselves as regulars under Tuchel, gave a non-complimentary assessment of Lampard’s appointment last week, also suggesting Lampard wasn’t ready for the job.
He told ESPN Brasil:
“He came to a club where he is a legend, without having experience at other clubs. I think he came too soon, skipped a few steps ahead and wasn’t ready for a job at this level, to be honest.”
And speaking to talkSPORT, former Blues striker Cascarino reluctantly agreed with the Italian maestro.
“Defensively, they are far superior and far more tactically nous within the team,” Cascarino said.
Asked whether Tuchel’s successes highlighted Lampard’s weaknesses, he said:
“That’s putting it harsh on Frank, he might take that in a way that’s uncomfortable.
“But apart from the West Brom game, if you watch them play, you can tell there have been huge amounts of work done on the training ground.
“I’m not saying Frank didn’t do it, but I think there’s an experience.
“When you have players like Jorginho saying Frank wasn’t ready for the job – I don’t think he was ready for the job and I don’t think Jody Morris [his assistant] was.
“You cannot deny Chelsea are much tougher to play (now). Look at their goals against column, it’s a massive difference.”