Chelsea: Assessing Frank Lampard halfway through his initial contract
Frank Lampard is approaching the midway point of his initial three-year Chelsea contract, but how has he performed thus far?
Frank Lampard joined Chelsea in the summer of 2019, signing an initial three-year contract with the Premier League giant. The appointment of the club legend was a breath of fresh air to Blues fans everywhere. After Maurizio Sarri departed west London—leaving Chelsea as battered and broken as ever—Lampard was left to pick up the pieces. He attacked the challenge head on, never backing down from what many others would view as a daunting task. Lampard was already a beloved figure amongst Blues faithful, which is why his appointment made a whole lot of sense. The Chelsea board needed to mend the relationship between the club and its fans; the 41-year-old was the perfect man for the job.
However, as this year drags on, the jury is still out on the gaffer. Many believe that after spending so much money this window, the Blues should undoubtedly be better. On the other hand, it’s easy to look around Europe and see the impact COVID-19 has on the continent’s top leagues. Consistency is seemingly non-existent with some of the world’s biggest clubs this season, as they fail to top their respective league tables at the turn of the year.
We’re now at the halfway point of Lampard’s managerial contract, so it’s time to assess his performance thus far. In order to evaluate the job he’s done, I’m going to be taking a look at three categories: team management, results and relationship with the club and its fans. Here is how Lampard has performed in the first half of his stay as manager of the Blues:
1. Relationship with the club and its fans
Sarri took the fragile relationship between club and fans into his hands and crumpled it up into a ball before throwing it away during his tenure. Not since Rafa Benitez’s interim stint had Chelsea been led by someone as controversial and hated as the Italian. This meant Lampard had a lot of mending to do to fix this broken partnership that is vital to the long-term success of any football club.
As expected, Lampard’s appointment roped all ostracized fans back into the club. Chelsea supporters were ecstatic when one the Blues’ best players ever took the reins and chose to lead his beloved club into battle. A very vocal minority on social media continues to cry “#LampardOut” in memory of their cherished Sarri—who many don’t understand left Chelsea, not the other way around. The Blues social media support is incredibly reactionary, but make no mistake about it, a majority of proper Chelsea fans think Lampard is the man to usher in a new era at Stamford Bridge.
Lampard’s relationship with the club should speak for itself, just take a look at the Blues’ summer transfer window. The board backed the manager heavily, unlike those who came before him. Lampard was given a war-chest of cash to splurge on some world class talent. While the spending spree saw the expectations and pressure rise, it showed the commitment from both the club and manager. Further, Lampard’s close ties to owner Roman Abramovich, director Marina Granovskaia and technical/performance advisor Petr Cech represent the first healthy club-coach relationship in a long, long time.