Chelsea making top four: A job only Frank Lampard could accomplish

Barely anyone expected Chelsea to make top four this season. It was a job that only the legend Frank Lampard could accomplish with the Blues.

By the time Maurizio Sarri quit to run off to a trophy factory and the Frank Lampard rumors began, it was already known that Chelsea had a transfer ban. The mood at the club was at one of its lowest points in the decade. The youth wanted to leave, the club felt as far away from itself as it has in recent memory, and the future looked very bleak.

The Lampard links increased these fears in the eyes of many. Some called it too soon for the young manager, that his time would come later. Top four was not even a conversation for many others, with some even wondering if the club could manage a top half finish. There was a notion that Lampard was there to weather the ban. If he did well, he could get an Ole Gunnar Solskjaer like chance. If not, the Blues could thank him for his time and find a “real” manager.

But others saw the reality: Chelsea needed Frank Lampard. Beyond that, they saw that the club could only achieve their goals with Lampard in charge. Top four was a dream to many critics, but for Lampard and his Blue and white army, it was always in the plans.

It was important after the Sarri, and to a lesser extent, the Antonio Conte year(s) that Chelsea find someone who could bring the Blues back to the basics. Chelsea had to be allowed to be Chelsea again. Other managers could have fit that mold, but few would have understood that culture more than one of the patron saints of it. Lampard immediately set about returning things to how they should have been the entire time.

One of the most important things that happened with his arrival was winning the players back over. Many wanted to leave after a poor year with Conte and a terrible relationship with Sarri. Many of these players were the youth that Chelsea needed to rely upon throughout the transfer ban. But Lampard came in and established a meritocracy right away. If a player earned it, they would play. And that simple little change is all it took to hold on to the likes of Tammy Abraham, the club’s leading striker for the season.

The style of play at the club improved by leaps and bounds, even if it had (and still has) hiccups. The youth revolution finally took place and it was shown that yes, Chelsea’s own can hang with the big boys of the league. Many will try to dismiss the impact of the transfer ban because Chelsea could bring the youth back in and they signed Christian Pulisic, but the youth that came in were from the Championship and Pulisic was nowhere near the player he is now. Lampard gave them the only thing they ever needed: a chance.

But could someone else have done this? Surely not. Sarri would have only been able to alienate the squad further. Max Allegri, Nuno Espirito Santo, and even Javi Gracia all would have struggled to find a place for the players that made a difference this year even if their tactics may have worked. Even Erik ten Hag would have struggled with his style being something that Chelsea wanted, but simply was not what the club was or is.

No. Top four and this youth revolution could have only ever happened with Lampard. The club needed someone to bring them back to their roots and to move them forward. Only Lampard could have done that and only he could have brought the club top four. The doubters were everywhere. But Lampard just did what he had to do to prove them wrong.