Chelsea: Frank Lampard obviously isn’t the problem, it’s the culture
As fans, we seldom think about a club’s issues and associate them with something other than either the manager or the players. In the case of Chelsea, however, the problem is much bigger than a select few individuals—unless, of course, those people are the club’s key decision makers. The Blues’ board is unknowingly to blame for the team’s struggles, dating back to the days before Roman Abramovich even purchased the club.
Chelsea has employed just three managers for four years or more since the beginning of the 1960s: Tommy Docherty (’61-67), Dave Sexton (’67-74) and John Neal (’81-85). No manager has come close to joining that club since Claudio Ranieri (199 matches) and Jose Mourinho’s (185 matches) stints in charge from 2000/07. The Blues have also had nine managers over the last 10 years, during which time the board helped completely overturn the squad on numerous occasions. Yet, the same issues still occur, and we’re quick to point fingers at those visibly struggling. What if it’s those we cannot see that are the root of the problem though? Chelsea’s biggest enemy is not a rogue group of players or an unqualified manager—it’s the culture.
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The Blues have built a reputation for having one of the most toxic atmospheres in football. The club demands excellence, but at what point does this excellence become unachievable and the sack methods unsustainable? The reason constantly hiring and firing managers at Chelsea has worked is because changes always breed success—or so it seems. However, and this may be a wake up call to supporters, the Blues haven’t been competitive for four or five years now. Antonio Conte was the last coach to win the honors the SW6 club strives to capture, way back in the 2016/17 season.
Sure, Conte’s FA Cup and Maurizio Sarri’s Europa League titles are welcomed. We truly thank those managers for their contributions, but the Blues should hold themselves to the highest standards since that’s what they promote. The last comfortable top four race came under Conte during the aforementioned title winning season and the team hasn’t made a deep Champions League run since the 2013/14 campaign. Everybody has questions, nobody provides the answers. Therefore, what ends up happening is the board sacks the current gaffer after a tough run of form and Abramovich dishes out a boatload of money to revamp the squad. It happens every time, like clockwork.
Despite this, the Blues have been in decline since Conte’s second season. The sack culture—albeit toxic—was successful because the club was winning. That isn’t the case anymore. Carlo Ancelotti won the Premier League, Roberto Di Matteo won the Champions League, Mourinho won the Premier League, Conte won the Premier League and since then, Chelsea simply hasn’t competed for anything. One can blame Lampard or Sarri until they’re blue in the face, but the fact of the matter is, it’s a club issue now. The board has made too many managerial changes to keep making the same excuses and the sales of the old guard mean the scapegoats have left the farm. The club’s hierarchy has backed itself into a corner and it’s now time for them to face the music.
Before going any further, it must be noted Lampard is not blameless. The young manager has made his fair share of mistakes and tactical blunders—nobody is perfect though. Chelsea committed to growing with the inexperienced coach and a few slip ups here or there were expected. Lampard has to do better, but in order to improve and dig himself out of a hole, he needs time.
One of the themes emerging from this skid is the players’ obvious lack of fight. The Blues have looked completely defeated in recent games, including—but not limited to—the clashes against Arsenal, Manchester City and Leicester City. I’m not going to pretend to dive inside the minds of the players in that dressing room. Truth be told, I have absolutely no idea what they are thinking or feeling; one thing I do know though is humans. I realize that’s incredibly vague, but stay with me.
We are not the only ones reading The Athletic headlines or tuning into talkSPORT for a listen, the players know what’s going on too. These rumors can be incredibly damaging to a team’s morale. Many of the Blues’ academy stars grew up Chelsea fans and have seen this song and dance a plethora of times—this is different though. Being a part of the first team means living in this reality and if the stress of this season hasn’t already done them in, this will push some players over the edge. I’d be willing to put my job on the line and bet that a majority of the people at Chelsea adore Lampard. To be partially responsible for the eventual firing of someone you admire will not leave anyone feeling stable, it takes a massive toll. Further, the sack murmurs are a distraction. Those around Cobham are now focused on saving Lampard’s job, as opposed to performing the task at hand, which can lead to the type of disjointed displays the Blues have put on recently.
It goes without saying that something needs to change, that something isn’t the manager though. Lampard may have his flaws, but he’s the perfect person for the job. He knows what it means to win and has an unquestionable love for the Blues. Not to mention, the Englishman has steered this ship pretty well considering the frantic conditions. This poor run of form is frustrating as all get-out, but it’s not exclusive to Chelsea, it’s happening all across Europe in these unprecedented times. The results have to improve and the team has to get back to playing cohesive football; however, none of that will happen under an interim manager.
If the Blues truly want to weather this storm and come out on the other side better off, they need to stick with Lampard. The gaffer needs the full backing of the board, publicly and behind closed doors. At this point, sitting on the fence will be harmful to all involved parties. If Chelsea is serious about wanting to improve the culture and stabilize the club, this is the only option.
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Chelsea has always teetered on the line of successful and dysfunctional, but if the Blues continue on the current path, the club will commit to the latter at the expense of the former. Things just aren’t clicking at the moment and there is plenty of blame to go around. At the end of the day though, the chickens have come home to roost and the toxic culture is at fault.