Chelsea: Nobody said a transformation was going to be easy
Chelsea has struggled over the last few weeks and while fans continue to cry for Frank Lampard’s sacking, it’s time to remember what we signed up for.
Cries of “#LampardOut” have begun turning social media sites into the cesspools they have the reputation of being as a portion of Chelsea fans seemingly near a breaking point. Largely regarded as one of the most reactionary fanbases in England, Blues supporters are creeping into divisive territory not seen since Maurizio Sarri’s stint in charge. As keyboard warriors continue to advocate for Frank Lampard to be sacked, it’s important to remember this is not what we signed up for—Lampard was hired to change the culture.
Chelsea turned to its legendary No. 8 after Sarri caused the biggest divide between fans and club in recent memory. The Italian departed the club for the blacker pastures of Turin and left behind a team with no identity and a transfer ban. Lampard quickly picked up the Italian’s rubble and built a squad on the foundation of hustle, passion and resiliency. He took the job knowing the risk that came with being at Chelsea, but also knowing the club would back his three-year plan and give him some time to change the toxic sack culture.
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The Blues struggled through their first season, but overachieved in the eyes of many—including Lampard—as they made it to the Round of 16 in the Champions League, FA Cup final and most importantly, finished top four in the Premier League. The Coronavirus pandemic and its impact on global football made for an unparalleled one-year period that’s still impacting the team today, and that must be mentioned when discussing Lampard’s first two seasons. After overachieving during his debut season, he was incredibly clear as to what his goals were for the 2020/21 campaign: close the gap. The Blues finished 33 points behind Liverpool last season, something that needed to be addressed.
Many will cite Jurgen Klopp as a modern day example of why clubs should give a manager time, and that’s because it’s a perfect comparison. Klopp came into Liverpool and spent a lot of money, but getting consistent results still took time; the same goes for Lampard. A lot of individuals simply call the English manager a failure this season because when spending that amount of money, the Blues should be in the title race. While there is some truth to that, one also needs to consider a lot of that money simply went into replacing a world class talent who left the club the previous summer. That happened at Liverpool too with Philippe Coutinho, making the juxtapositions even more accurate. Further, between the Coronavirus and a plethora of injuries, this season has not been as cut and dried as everyone makes it out to be.
If there’s one thing the Merseyside club has learned up to this point though, it’s that it was right to stick with its manager through the struggles. Now in his sixth year with the club, Klopp has his sights set on the second straight Premier League title. Factor in his Champions League medal and the Reds are flying high, despite the early adversity. The same goes for Lampard. Supporters had expectations of Premier League glory simply because of a summer spending spree, which was unrealistic. The Blues hired Lampard to change the culture and sacking him in the middle of a social transformation would simply defeat the purpose—erasing all the improvements he’s made over the last 18 months.
The board and Lampard are in it for the long haul. The last few weeks have taught us that year two is going to be somewhat similar to year one with a lot of ups and downs. The gaffer knew at the beginning of the year—and as soon as Klopp and Jose Mourinho named Chelsea as title contenders—the Blues would not be in that conversation just yet. There were few gripes when the team was over-performing, going on a near 20-game unbeaten run, but as soon as things go south, the naysayers emerge from under their rocks.
They say he has no tactics. Lampard became the first manager ever to do a league double over Mourinho last season. He’s beaten Klopp, Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti and other legendary coaches in his first two seasons. Sure, he still has a lot to learn about management and mistakes are made, that’s what it means to be a young coach in the world’s best league though. If every team were to fire its manager when the going gets tough, the aforementioned Klopp wouldn’t have the trophies he does, Zinedine Zidane would’ve been sacked at Madrid before winning three UCL titles and Sir Alex Ferguson’s name wouldn’t be eternalized above a stand at Old Trafford.
They say he has no pull. Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech and Thiago Silva all cited Lampard as one of the key reasons they signed for Chelsea. These world class players want to play for a manager and a team with vision. Lampard was a world class player who knows what it means to win and that resonates with players. He knows what it means to put on the Chelsea shirt, represent the badge and lift trophies in front of sold out crowds at Stamford Bridge, something today’s young players dream of.
They say he isn’t cut out for this job. Lampard knew from day one what he was stepping into, he’s always been clear about that. He’s no Mourinho, Ancelotti or Antonio Conte; Lampard wasn’t going to win trophy after trophy and immediately ascend to the world’s elite management ranks. He’s shown flashes though. When Chelsea hired Lampard, it committed to going on this journey with a young manager and sticking with him through the growing pains—at least until the end of his contract. He deserves that.
This was never going to be easy. Lampard wasn’t going to step in and immediately transform the club; he wasn’t going to snap his fingers and fix everything wrong. It’s time to open your eyes and admit it: when Sarri departed, despite the Europa League win, Chelsea was in shambles. Each manager represented a temporary solution to an ongoing problem, except for Lampard. Lampard represented the long-term fix, with the downside being the time it took him to rebuild the club.
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It’s incredibly hard not to get furious with results of recent weeks, but we cannot lose sight of the club’s vision for the future. Lampard continuously gives his all for this club and it’s about time we band together to give him that respect. Try not to be reactionary, let’s assess the job the manager has done at the end of the season—if not the end of his contract. I’m confident Lampard is the man to usher in a new era at Chelsea, and you should be too.