Chelsea legend Frank Lampard could take charge as head coach of Chelsea in coming days as per reports. He will face comparisons to his predecessors, but not too many with Maurizio Sarri.
Every manager bears the burden of being compared with the previous manager when they commence their reign. At a successful club like Chelsea, the scrutiny will be exceptionally high. Every step Frank Lampard takes will be held up next to those of all the managers who came before him, and the ones he may have beat out for the job.
Chelsea fans are still palpably divided on the topic of Maurizio Sarri. The Italian’s supporters, who make a lot of noise for such a small number, will try to belittle Lampard when he runs into any setbacks. They will frequently point out that Sarri finished third in the Premier League and won a European title, but the scope of comparisons will be quite shallow.
One of the countless things in which Chelsea fans found pride over the years was the team’s gritty performances against leading teams. From the time of Jose Mourinho’s first spell to Antonio Conte’s, Chelsea always excelled against other notable teams. Under Sarri, things were never the same.
The Blues’ record away under Sarri was a disaster. Among the top 10 teams they only won once away, defeating Watford. Considering Chelsea’s usual standards, the inability to win these crucial games away from Stamford Bridge had fans questioning Sarri, particularly his team selections.
Any minor victory Frank Lampard can achieve against those teams will be a critical improvement from the previous season. He will also expect to match Chelsea’s form at home under Sarri in the Premier League, where they lost only once, against Leicester.
Lampard’s Champions League exploits will not be compared with Sarri’s Europa League adventure. The difference in the level of opponents between the two European competitions is simply too great for a fair or accurate comparison.
A deep run in one of the domestic cups will benefit Lampard if he uses his squad wisely (unlike Sarri did). And if Lampard can go one step farther than Sarri and win a domestic cup, all the better.
One luxury Lampard will not enjoy is having a player of Eden Hazard’s caliber. The Belgian was one of the key reasons behind Chelsea’s good home form under Sarri. Hazard bailed out Sarri more than once during the previous season. Fans should be sensible to recognize that, and account for Hazard’s irreplaceability when looking at Lampard’s first season to Sarri’s only season.
Frank Lampard will be keen to use the numerous talented youth Chelsea has in their ranks. He will not wait until a major European club comes asking about a top prospect, nor wait until he has no other options, as he did with Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Lampard’s approach to player development – regardless of the transfer ban – will be incomparable to what the Blues saw last season.
Any result Chelsea achieve this next season will be talked about a lot considering Chelsea’s history and the symbolism of Lampard’s return. If fans and the club have the patience, Frank Lampard has the ability to do wonders at Chelsea.