Chelsea: Frank Lampard should not be compared to Guardiola or Zidane

Frank Lampard will not be the first high-profile former player to manage a club. However, there is not much comparison between what he is coming to at Chelsea and what Pep Guardiola and Zinedine Zidane encountered in their first managerial jobs.

If the reports are to be believed, Chelsea’s record goalscorer Frank Lampard will be returning to the club as their new manager. The return of Lampard is something fans knew would happen one day. Nevertheless, not many expected it to be this early.

Lampard’s first season as a manager at Derby County was relatively successful, even though they lost at the final hurdle to qualify for the Premier League. There were many memorable performances and his man-management style was roundly applauded.

Once the season starts, he naturally will be compared to recent players-turned-managers at other major clubs like Pep Guardiola and Zinedine Zidane. But these will be unfair comparisons, with so many key aspects not in common amongst them.

For starters, the team Lampard will be inheriting and the teams Guardiola and Zidane inherited are at the opposing sides of a stick.

Chelsea just lost their most influential player of recent history. Meanwhile, when he started at Barcelona, Guardiola had Messi. Likewise, Zidane came into a Real Madrid side already in full stride with Cristiano Ronaldo.

The contrasts go beyond the players. The team Guardiola inherited was already a formidable one who experienced success under Frank Rijkaard. In the same way, Zidane’s squad enjoyed success under Carlo Ancelotti. The most significant task for Guardiola and Zidane was to improve their team’s atmosphere, which was under some strain from their respective former managers.

Once that was resolved, they implemented their own style and were able to bring players to improve the side. Lampard, though, cannot introduce any new player (excluding youth and loanees, of course) until what will be his second season. His new players will have merely played one season in a style altogether distinctive from the previous seasons. Hence, it will be critical how he introduces his style of play.

Again unlike Real Madrid and Barcelona, this Chelsea team lacks a game-changer. There are too many players over 30 years old. Exciting young players like Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi are currently out injured. Because of the lack of signings, he will need to integrated a few of the loanees. Among them, Reece James is considered the most promising but he, too, is injured and will miss the start of the season.

Frank Lampard will also be entering a different vibe around the club. Do not downplay the atmosphere inside Stamford Bridge towards the end of Maurizio Sarri’s reign. Even though Lampard’s presence alone will improve the atmosphere significantly, he will require good results to maintain it going in a promising direction.

In a league where there are at least six sides vying for the top four spots, Chelsea cannot afford to go on in a run of too many undesirable results. Lampard will be undoubtedly aware of it.

If he is appointed, the support of the fans will be vital. Allowing him to carry out things in his own style without any unwanted comparisons should be important.