Chelsea’s Frank Lampard has been a breath of fresh air in his relationships. But make no mistake; his only loyalties are to the club and winning.
Last season felt like a broken record. Chelsea would struggle and Maurizio Sarri would say the players do not understand or that they were not “technical” enough. He would then pick the exact same XI and get the exact same results.
So when Frank Lampard came in with his promises of meritocracy, it felt like a breath of fresh air. There were doubts among some when he seemingly selected the youth over the alternatives, but those fears have been abated as time has gone on. Lampard, even when preparing to drop a player, will keep any and all criticism to the locker room and the training pitch. In public, he is only a figure of support.
But make no mistake; Lampard’s only loyalties belong to the club and winning. He will do whatever it takes to make the club successful. That has only grown more extreme since play resumed, but there were signs of it before as well.
Fikayo Tomori was arguably Chelsea’s best center back in the first half of the season. Then he got sick around New Year’s and he virtually has not been seen since. In fact, he is now being linked to a loan move away to help grease the wheels for a Declan Rice transfer. Lampard supposedly got tired of the mistakes in his game and decided to go with other players.
There was of course the entire Kepa Arrizabalaga issue. The keeper is the club’s most expensive player but it is fair to say that he has struggled. Lampard had no issues dropping him for Willy Caballero for several matches and almost immediately, rumors that a new keeper would be coming in began. Those rumors have died down since Arrizabalaga returned to the lineup, but the shadow still looms.
Jorginho’s time since the break also speaks to this. At some point during Jorginho’s forever suspension, Lampard decided he wanted to play with two eights in midfield. That required the third midfielder to be more defensive and that left no place for Jorginho on either side. He has not started a match since his suspension despite being one of the most used players beforehand.
Digging further back, there was the whole Christian Pulisic fiasco (or at least it was made out to be as such by the US media). Pulisic needed a break, yes, but when he played he was fantastic for Lampard. That did not stop the manager from being careful to bring him into the fold. At the time, Lampard did not see Pulisic as a player that would help him win more than other options. Pulisic had to earn that and now he seemingly cannot let go of it.
Callum Hudson-Odoi also knows of some of this. Last year the English winger submitted a transfer request because he saw no opportunity at Chelsea. Sarri had to be ordered to use him. Hudson-Odoi eventually got his hefty contract but even as he returned from injury, Lampard has not immediately thrown him in. Again, the performances have to dictate playing him more and they simply have not. Lampard can win easier with others.
But then there is the transfer activity. In almost any other Chelsea window, the Blues may have gotten Hakim Ziyech or Timo Werner but certainly not both. The crazy thing is that Chelsea does not seem to be stopping there. Kai Havertz, Declan Rice, and Ben Chilwell are all linked with various intensities and it actually feels like the Blues are capable of bringing in all of them. Furthermore, it would not be surprising to see the club push for even more.
Those transfers would surely block off a lot of players who seemingly earned their places this season. With the older players it is what it is. But the youth revolution that Lampard has been rightfully praised for will suffer. Lampard is not thinking about that though. He is thinking about building a team that will win not only for next season, but for years to come. The revolution he began ending is a sacrifice that he seems willing to make.
Lampard is a good man manager and cares about his players but that does not mean he has loyalty to them. If they are not playing well, they will be dropped regardless of who they are or what they have achieved. If a player is available in the market that will improve the squad, he will urge the club to pursue them regardless of which player in his squad suffers as a result.
Lampard cares about the club and winning. He will do whatever he can to ensure the latter to the former. It is ruthless, yes, but it may be what Chelsea has needed for some time now. The last time the team had a manager like that was arguably Jose Mourinho. Lampard may have picked up a trick or two from his old mentor.