Chelsea and Frank Lampard’s advancing to the round of 16 is an achievement

There were doubts about Frank Lampard and a young Chelsea side coming into this season. Advancing in the Champions League showed they are the real deal.

There is no perfect formula for hiring the “right” manager. What works for one club can painfully blow up in another club’s face. A rough idea can be gained beforehand but after that only hindsight can say if the decision to hire that particular manager was correct or not.

Chelsea had a tricky summer. With Maurizio Sarri leaving and a transfer ban, the Blues found themselves low on choices. And while the appointment of Frank Lampard felt oh so right to many, for others it was a concern. After all, he had only one season of professional management in the Championship and he would be “stuck” with players who were with him in that league.

But Chelsea advancing into the Champions League’s round of 16 shows that Frank Lampard was the right choice. It was not the hardest group but it was a tricky group considering the squad Lampard had inherited. Though it was not the prettiest of finishes, the Blues still got over the line and that achievement cannot be diminished.

Chelsea was drawn into group H which apparently stood for hipster. It had the new Blues with their young former player turned manager and the academy filling in all the gaps. Then there was last season’s semifinalists Ajax who were equally young and exciting. If that were not enough, a young and dynamic Lille joined in as well. Valencia rounded out the group as La Liga’s biggest club out of the usual big three.

The campaign began as poorly as it possibly could have. Home games have been an odd weak spot for Lampard but when the margins are so slim in a Champions League group, opening with a home loss was damaging. It did not help when Ross Barkley strangely went to take a penalty and subsequently missed.

But the Blues rebounded well. Two away trips to Lille and Ajax resulted in two great tactical wins. Suddenly, Chelsea was firmly in the driver’s seat of the group.

Ajax served to bring Chelsea back down to Earth next time out though. Two own goals opened things up for Ajax at Stamford Bridge and they were not content to stop there. They piled on to the tune of 4-1 with Jorginho’s penalty being the only thing allowing the Blues to cling to life.

But the match also had Ajax doing more damage to themselves than Chelsea. Eventually it came to a head with not one but two red cards. Handed a life line, the Blues pushed a got a much needed point in a wild match.

Valencia proved to be Chelsea’s real Achilles’s heel however. Despite sacking their manager early this season, the Spanish side managed to take the head to head over the Blues with their win at the Bridge and a draw at home. The Blues would need a win against a very much already eliminated Lille to guarantee their advancement.

Luckily, Lille understood that pride was not enough to play for and they rotated heavily. For much of the game, Chelsea played very well and even professionally. It was only late on, when Lille stole one back through none other than Loic Remy, that the Blues appeared to struggle. The Blues kept trying to score even if it may have been wiser to just kill time on the ball.

Regardless, Chelsea advanced to the round of 16, second only to Valencia. Ajax, after their great Champions League run last season, fell to the Europa League. And Lille, well, thanks for playing.

It was a tough group. And with a manager fresh out of the Championship and with several starters who plied their trade in the Championship, Chelsea made their way through. It was a question mark coming into this season and maybe a legitimate concern for many. But Lampard has earned his place at Chelsea. The academy kids and the older veterans have earned their place.

Now the Blues can shift gears fully to the Premier League for a few weeks as they look to solidify their next achievement: a top four finish. Chelsea still plays somewhat young and naive (both the players and, at times, the manager) but they got the job done on the club games biggest stage. Whatever the round of 16 brings, Chelsea has accomplished something given all the variables.