Chelsea legend Frank Lampard’s Derby taking on a familiar shape

The start of Chelsea legend Frank Lampard’s managerial career has shown tons of promise and interesting notes. How is Derby County reflecting his career?

A player’s position has a great deal of influence over how they view the game. For example, Pep Guardiola’s time in midfield likely had a major influence on his views towards controlling the ball and space. Diego Simeone’s more rough and tumble defensive style surely informed his aggressive and organized Atletico Madrid.

In addition, who a player played for also has a massive influence on how they view the game. Using Guardiola as an example once more, his time under Johan Cruyff was incredibly formative on his stylistic approach. Mauricio Pochettino’s brief time under Marcelo Biesla is where his notions of pressing likely originate.

So it should be of no surprise then, considering those two factors, that Frank Lampard’s Derby County is playing as a reflection of his career. Both from his own role as a player and the managers that Lampard played under, his Derby side looks very familiar.

Derby line up most often in a 4-3-3 formation. Lampard had plenty of time in this system from the day he joined Chelsea to the day Andres Villa-Boas shifted to a 4-2-3-1 that stuck for the rest of Lampard’s Chelsea career.

Defensively, his side shows a lot of signs of Jose Mourinho. They are highly organized and cautious about their positions. That is not to say Derby is a defensive side; they are not at all. The back four will drop back to insure a strong shield for the keeper as the more forward players initiate a hard press. This has perhaps been a little too aggressive as Derby is towards the top of the league in yellow cards.

But offensively is where Lampard’s role as a player really shines. Derby love to take long shots into the box in the same way Lampard used to do all the time. Whether they score or not is less important than the shot being into a dangerous area. Either the ball goes in the net or it creates enough chaos for someone to rebound it into the net.

To help facilitate that, Derby packs the box with a lot of players. It is not unusual to see three, four, or even five players move into the box when Derby enters the final third. This is also something Lampard loved to do as a player and it allows the team plenty of options to find rebounds.

In addition, Derby usually counters quickly down the flanks by spreading the pitch with three players. If this sounds like a Mourinho or Carlo Ancelotti special that is because it is. When the ball is won within the Derby half, it is immediately given to the nearest wide man as the front three start the attack. A certain Mason Mount is usually coming in from behind to sweep up anything at the edge of the box.

Speaking of Mount, he and fellow Chelsea loanee Fikayo Tomori have been vital to Lampard’s side. The former is as close to a modern day Lampard as Chelsea has seen and it is clear that the legend is grooming him as such. Tomori has helped to shore up the defense while also providing the occasional thrust from deep when Derby is dominant on the ball.

It is early days yet, but Lampard’s Derby currently sit on three wins and two losses in the Championship. They have advanced in the League Cup and look more capable every match. Though the defensive side of things could use some improvement, that attack is there and the buildup is there. In fact, Derby sit second only to Biesla’s Leeds United for possession.

The Championship is a long and grueling season. Lampard is still finding his feet but the positive signs and influences are clear. Derby might only be on the edge of promotion this season or they might actually come up, but regardless, Lampard is showing he can translate his time as a player into a successful managerial career.