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The 4th of July is most notably remembered as Independence Day in America, but 4 July 2019 was also a momentous occasion for Chelsea FC fans all across the globe as Frank Lampard was appointed as their manager on a 3-year contract.
Following a glittering career on the pitch, Lampard moved into management and soon return to take over the reins at the club where he made himself a household name.
While Lampard’s return does make for a fairytale story, truth be told, no one knew what to expect from the former midfielder given his limited managerial experience. Before his reunion with Chelsea, the former midfielder had only managed the Chelsea youth team and Derby County for just over a year. For all his footballing prowess, there were several question marks over the Englishman’s tactical acumen and his man-management skills.
The one thing that Lampard did have going for him, though, was the backing of the club owner Roman Abramovich and the support of the Chelsea fans. After spending the vast majority of his playing career at Stamford Bridge, Lampard certainly has cemented an eternal place in the hearts of the Blues fans all over the world. And he will certainly hope that the love and affection will help him navigate the peaks and valleys that he encounters while he is in charge of his beloved club.
The current Premier League season will be remembered as Lampard’s first season in charge of Chelsea. As the campaign draws to a close, the ex-midfielder seems to have done well enough to guarantee Chelsea the top 4 finish that assures the Blues a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League.
Here are five things we have learnt about Chelsea based on their performances in the Premier League during the 2019-20 campaign:
5. Lampard has made his mark during his first season in charge of Chelsea
Lampard was handed a tough first game as manager when he visited Manchester United on the opening day of the season. As United put Chelsea to the sword that day, the dust settled on the fanfare of his return and the magnitude of the task at hand became evident to the manager.
Fans soon knew that the 42-year-old would have to use every ounce of his managerial abilities to get Chelsea to achieve their targets for the season. But to his credit, Lampard has managed to do exactly that since that first game and his team have come a long way since the opening day.
Throughout the season, Lampard has figured out his preferred formation and starting eleven, and has also inculcated a possession-based style of football in his team that makes them very easy on the eye.
He has also given numerous academy products a chance to showcase their talent in the first team, with the likes of Fikayo Tomori, Mason Mount and Reece James being the most notable beneficiaries of Lampard’s trust. In the process, Lampard has managed to rectify one of the biggest drawbacks the club has had in the Roman Abramovich era.
Though none of the players who have come through the academy seems like the finished product, Chelsea fans can take heart from the fact that their young players are finally being given the chance to showcase their talent on the highest stage.
If Lampard’s tactics this season is anything to go by, then we can certainly expect more young stars to come through the ranks at Chelsea, or at least till Lampard is at the helm of the club.
4. Christian Pulisic is one for the future
Despite all the players coming through the ranks at Chelsea, it is a big-money signing who has been making the headlines this season. After sealing a move from Borussia Dortmund, many expected Christian Pulisic to hit the ground running in a Chelsea shirt and fill the void left by Eden Hazard’s departure.
Though the American took a while to find his feet at Stamford Bridge, he has certainly come into his own as the season has gone one. There has never been any doubt about Pulisic’s ability, rather, it was only a question of whether he could replicate the kind of consistency that he had displayed during his time in Germany.
Just as Pulisic was beginning to make himself a permanent fixture in Lampard’s starting eleven, he suffered a serious muscular injury that kept him on the sidelines for an extended period. However, the lockdown and the suspension of football caused by the coronavirus pandemic came as a blessing in disguise for Pulisic, as it allowed him to fully recover from his injury.
Ever since the restart, a fully fit Pulisic has established himself as one of Chelsea’s most influential players with 2 goals in the last four games. The former Dortmund man has been at the centre of everything good that Lampard’s team have done since the return of football, and his performances in the remaining few games will determine whether or not Chelsea qualify for the Champions League next season.
Regardless of how things play out from now on, till the end of the season, Pulisic looks set to become Chelsea’s talisman for the coming years. Pulisic may have been bought to fill Hazard’s shoes and so far he has done just that, but in the years to come, he looks set to achieve so much more at Chelsea Football Club.
3. Kepa Arrizabalaga has to improve and might need some competition to do so
Despite academy products making it to Chelsea’s first team and Christian Pulisic’s exploits, Lampard’s first season has not been plain sailing. As fluent as his team have looked going forward, they have looked equally vulnerable at the back and a large part of that is down to the patchy form of Kepa Arrizabalaga.
The Spaniard made headlines at the start of last season when he moved to Chelsea from Athletic Bilbao on an €80 million deal that made him the world’s most expensive goalkeeper. Two years since his arrival, the goalkeeper has not been able to nail down a permanent spot in Chelsea’s goal, let alone justify the huge fees that the club paid for him.
The goalkeeper has failed to win Lampard’s trust as he is still prone to making glaring errors, with his handling and decision-making abilities coming into question on more than one occasion this season. With only seven clean sheets in 29 Premier League games so far, Kepa has a lot of room for improvement and might need some serious competition to step his game up.
The Blues have been linked with a move for André Onana and the Ghanian might just be the answer to their problems in goal. Despite being a year younger than Arrizabalaga, Onana’s stock has risen considerably in the recent past and it will not be long before a top club makes a move for him.
His arrival from Ajax Amsterdam would certainly bolster Chelsea’s goalkeeping department and increase the competition for a place in starting eleven. However, the Dutch club will certainly not let the Ghanian shot-stopper leave for cheap, which means that the Chelsea management will have to break the bank again to get their man. Given the financial impact of the pandemic, this might be easier said than done.
2. Chelsea need to sign a world-class central defender at the earliest
While Arrizabalaga’s performances have left a lot to be desired, it would be unfair to claim that he is solely responsible for Chelsea’s defensive frailties this season. As the season reaches its climax, it is safe to say that Lampard still has not figured out his first-choice central defenders.
Throughout the campaign, Lampard has experimented with the likes of Kurt Zouma, Fikayo Tomori, and Andreas Christensen at the heart of his defence, but none of them have done enough to cement their spot in his starting eleven. Chelsea’s shock defeat to West Ham United was the most recent evidence of the club’s defensive shortcomings.
Given this scenario, it is plain to see that signing a world-class central defender should be Lampard’s top-most priority in the upcoming transfer window. The West-London club has long been linked with a move for Kalidou Koulibaly, and the Napoli man would be a welcome to Chelsea’s backline.
Having established himself as one of the world’s best defenders during his time in Naples, the Senegalese international will certainly bring a sense of security and solidity to Chelsea’s rearguard if he signs for them.
However, much like Onana, Koulibaly will not be available for cheap as Napoli will surely slap a heavy price tag on him. More importantly, Lampard’s team will have to fend off several other potential suitors who also have their heart set on signing him.
But Chelsea fans can take heart from the recent signings of Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner, which proves that Lampard has been able to sell his long-term vision for the club to some of the brightest prospects in the world. As we head into the next transfer window, the fans will hope that Lampard can do an encore and sign a top-quality central defender, which is the need of the hour at the club.
1. Chelsea could be the team to watch out for next season
As the curtain comes down on Lampard’s first season in charge of Chelsea, the team seems to have confirmed a place in the top 4 of the Premier League. This would have most probably been Chelsea’s ambition at the start of the season and the team seems to have achieved it with ease. Along the way, 'Super Frank' has also broken the club’s tradition of not being able to incorporate their academy players into the first team.
On the other hand, Lampard has also managed to snap up Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner from Ajax Amsterdam and RB Leipzig respectively. Not only are these signings a statement of intent from the club, it also makes them one of the most lethal attacks in the next Premier League season. But having a lethal attack will mean nothing if Chelsea does not sign a quality central defender to fix their leaky defence.
Conversely, if they do sign a defender, they could give the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City a run for their money. While winning the Premier League title may still be a distant dream for Chelsea, Lampard certainly has the club moving in the right direction.
Frank Lampard seems to have done all the hard work to build a long and successful tenure during his first season as the manager of Chelsea. If he can build on the good work that he has done, then it will not be too much longer before the glory days return to Stamford Bridge.
