Frank Lampard allowed Chelsea to be Chelsea once again

After years of trying to be another club, the Blues went a different way and allowed Frank Lampard to let Chelsea be Chelsea again.

It had long been Roman Abramovich’s desire to turn Chelsea into Barcelona in Blue. Almost as soon as Jose Mourinho was out the door (the first time), the owner’s eye was caught by Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona side ruling the world.

For years, decisions were made towards attaining that goal. Some decisions had to be made out of pragmatism (the reappointment of Mourinho for example), but the overall desire was to attain the ideal of “beautiful football”. Maurizio Sarri’s appointment was perhaps the most concrete step yet towards that goal.

Except Chelsea lost their soul a bit in the process. To become Barcelona in Blue, Chelsea had to stop being Chelsea in Blue. Fans became more and more fractured and less and less connected to the club. Long before the competitors for top four collapsed around the Blues and long before the Europa League offered a nearly clear path to the final, the Blues simply did not feel like themselves anymore. With Sarri quitting for Juventus, the club decided to reverse course. Frank Lampard (and friends!) came in and was allowed to let Chelsea be Chelsea again.

This was not a random decision. As Manchester City was embarrassing Chelsea to the tune of 6-0 (just after Bournemouth did it 4-0), Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was redefining expectations of what being Manchester United meant. Had he not completely gutted the squad of quality while somehow still hanging on to the bad actors, he may have continued on the current course. But the idea had been planted; clubs have cultures and those cultures can reach deep into the past as well as far into the future.

The Blues have long been associated with “parking the bus” or “negative football” or “antifootball”. That is on the right track, but it is the wrong train. More than anything Chelsea was the side that got things done. Death by 1000 passes is fine, but not when the situation calls for a smash and grab. The club could play any way they needed to play for the result. Their toolbox had a hammer for nails and a screwdriver for screws.

Beyond that it was the empowerment of the players. To have many tools, Chelsea required players (and coaches) to know what was needed when. Rather than hammer away at the same style over and over hoping it finally works, the manager knew the players could adapt. If option A was not working, they would try option B.

Perhaps the real icing on top of all of that, however, was the sheer grit the Chelsea side possessed. It could be 0-0 on the last kick of the game, and every single Chelsea player knew that they had a goal in them yet. Until the whistle blew, the Blues knew they could overcome any obstacle.

Pragmatism, empowered players, and grit were all things that had been eroding away in recent years. From February of Antonio Conte’s second year to February of Sarri’s only year, the three all but disappeared.

A club that did not even feel like itself by the end of last season with a manager on the way out made it all feel a bit like Liverpool or Arsenal’s down slides. With a transfer ban, things seemed even bleaker. And that is when the club made the decision to step away from Barcelona in Blue and go with a man who defined Chelsea in Blue: Frank Lampard.

If Mourinho was the founder of a modern day Chelsea ethos, then Lampard was one of its many disciples sent to spread the message. The Blues may not be in complete control of their Champions League group and they are already seven points behind the league leaders in the Premier League, but one would be hard pressed to find a true Blues fan who is not absolutely delighted with what they are seeing. More importantly, fans feel like this is their team again.

Lampard often talks about the hard work players and staff need to put in every single day. Everyone, from the janitor to the star player, needs to be at their best. Nothing else is acceptable. For Lampard, part of that has been the understanding of when to swing and when to swerve. While his tactics remain true to an overarching philosophy, he has not been afraid to chop and change as required. That pragmatism has kept Chelsea afloat just when they looked like they were sinking under.

The empowerment is back too. Both Conte and Sarri were circuit based managers. In X situation, do circuit A. That type of lever pulling is gone under Lampard. While there is structure, the players are also allowed to make their own decisions on the field. That has allowed every player to showcase their abilities as an individual rather than as a cog in a machine.

But perhaps the most important change is the return of grit. Chelsea away at Ajax was a fantastic example. The Blues had a rough, uneven start without a great deal of control. In previous seasons, a rough start would have lasted throughout the game. Perhaps more importantly, there would be a palpable moment where it became clear that the Blues would not score again.

None of that happened against Ajax. Chelsea withstood the storm at the start and the gained control of the game. And there was never a moment where it felt as though they had tapped out on goal scoring. When Michy Batshuayi blasted the ball into the net it was a relief, but it was also completely predictable. To borrow a line from Chelsea’s excellent (and self reflective) kit release this season, “It’s a Chelsea thing“.

Lampard has let Chelsea be Chelsea again. Perhaps he even made Chelsea be Chelsea again. Regardless, the sense of the club being itself again has won many fans back over. There is a pride at and about the club once more, not just for the results, but because the club is no longer beating to someone else’s drum.