Chelsea has continued to climb the tower, whereas others have plummeted from their glorified perches with excruciating force.
The mythological story of the Phoenix has been passed along through generations, with the tale constantly altering, undergoing its own rebirth. Regardless, this symbolic bird has always represented one thing: renewal. From the embers of its dying self, another will flourish in its place, refreshed and full of vigor. Premier League sides often undergo this cycle of resurrection, but unlike the Phoenix, do not return rejuvenated. Instead, they internally wilt and fade, adamant that all is well when realistically, everything is blazing to the ground around them.
Arsenal and Manchester United are suffering from their recent renaissance, Manchester City’s flame has flickered profusely, Liverpool has lost some of its spark, even Tottenham Hotspur have suffered burn out en route to their sunny predicament. Chelsea meanwhile, has embodied the legend of change. The model of continuously replacing managers is, regrettably, not sustainable, yet the outcome is often the same. A trophy can usually be found in the cinders of the former coach, passed on to the next generation as the club revamps and moves ahead with its next mission.
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Although Frank Lampard is yet to win any finals in his fledgling managerial career, from the current flock, his squad looks the happiest with the regeneration fully underway. Near the top of the league and competently through the Champions League group stage is the minimum requirement for a Chelsea boss, yet the Blues are achieving it in a manner that was not present last season. This indication of improvement demonstrates that Lampard is adapting to his pressurised role and flourishing as a result.
All of United, Arsenal and Chelsea opted to match the message of restoration by reinstating a familiar face to their dugouts, yet only Lampard has truly strode on into a new age.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been in the job for 21 months and his best period came before he was permanently placed in charge, winning his first eight games as caretaker, including that historic comeback against Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc de Princes. Fast forward, and a naive defeat to the Parisians—along with several other questionable performances—has left the Norweigan stranded without much of a paddle. Before him, David Moyes, Louis Vaan Gaal and Jose Mourinho have been unable to rescue the Reds Devils from their hellish position.
Mikel Arteta also began his tenure up high, beating Chelsea to the FA Cup and healing some of the cracks left by Unai Emery. Now 15th placed and without a league win since defeating United 1-0 at the start of November, Arteta’s plan for the Gunners has backfired. Even the prestigious Pep Guardiola has not completely been able to revolutionize the English game as expected. The consecutive championing of the division has been sandwiched between a debut campaign where City finished third, 15 points behind eventual winners Chelsea, and a disappointing attempt at defending their crown in 2019/20, finishing 18 points adrift of Liverpool.
Jurgen Klopp has not been without his misgivings either. He failed to collect any silverware in his first three seasons on Merseyside, with the Liver bird only spreading its wings in the past two years. The 7-2 surprise at Aston Villa was a nod to the old Liverpool and that not everything is rosy in the Reds’ kingdom. Just looking at the crossover between Mauricio Pochetino and Mourinho is enough evidence Spurs have struggled their way to recent success, if not via an old fashioned route, that is scolded in the modern game.
All the while, Chelsea has chopped from the top without losing that killing instinct. In the last decade, the Blues have overturned eight managers, winning 10 domestic trophies (excluding the Community Shield because, well, we aren’t Arsenal). In that period, the rest of the big six goes as follows: Liverpool (three trophies, four managers), United (four trophies, four managers), Arsenal (four trophies, three managers), City (11 trophies, three managers) and Spurs (zero trophies, five managers).
Lampard is next in line to the Stamford Bridge throne. Nobody around west London wants to see Super Frank be relieved of his duties and at this rate, he won’t be relinquishing his crown any time soon. He is just further evidence that whilst others have wallowed in their charcoal remains, Chelsea has sprung into life like the Phoenix.