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Maurizio Sarri’s short yet successful stint at Chelsea has come to an end with the Italian replacing Massimiliano Allegri at Juventus. Sarri’s Chelsea tenure is a bit of a weird one, as the manager was heavily criticized throughout the season despite Chelsea’s targets being met. A third-place league finish, a League Cup final run, and a Europa League win are no easy feats.
However, Sarri never truly got the full support of the Chelsea faithful. His stubbornness when selecting his team was evident as players such as Emerson, Loftus-Cheek and Hudson-Odoi weren’t given a proper chance until later on into the season; Sarri opted for Alonso, Pedro, Willian, Ross Barkley and Mateo Kovacic even when their performances were below par.
From Sarri’s standpoint, leaving right now is a great decision. Chelsea are in a situation that restricts them from buying players for two transfer windows, and to top that they just lost their best player, and arguably the league's most talented player, Eden Hazard. Sarri doesn’t lose anything by going to Juventus, it’s Chelsea who are at a loss.
Sarri was supposed to be the manager that ushered in a new era for Chelsea with his free-flowing attacking mentality, something that Chelsea have never been known for. That the era didn't come to fruition in his tenure is not something that Sarri will lose sleep over.
As Sarri departs, it’s almost inevitable that Frank Lampard will leave his post at Derby and join the Blues' bench. When it comes to the Chelsea culture, few know the club better than Lampard. The fans adore him as he is arguably their greatest player ever, which will surely give him more time and support if they are to go through a tough period.
Lampard’s appointment will either be a success or a failure based on one thing: expectations.
If Roman Abramovich’s expectations for next season is top 4 or bust and a deep Champions League run, then Lampard would be a fool to take this job so early in his managerial career. The fact is that Chelsea have some gaping holes to be filled and without any investment, their top 6 rivals will be ready to pounce.
This first season should be one where Lampard can experiment with the squad and have the main goal of blooding the youth.
Callum Hudson-Odoi needs to be handed the keys to the attack as he is their brightest young talent and one of the futures of the English national team. Christian Pulisic needs to have time to adjust to the league as he is still unproven. Olivier Giroud is a selfless team player who can get a lot out of the youngsters around him, but a player such as Tammy Abraham needs to be given minutes after his successful loan stint at Aston Villa this past season.
Chelsea have a plethora of youth that need to be given a chance to succeed such as Ethan Ampadu, Reece James, Mason Mount and others. Willian and Pedro need to take a back seat under the Lampard regime; due to their age and inconsistencies, reliance on them would be a massive step in the wrong direction.
The Blues should expect nothing more than a top 6 finish and qualification into the Champions League Round of 16. That might sound as if they’re being sold short because they still possess world-class players such as Kepa, Kante, Azpilicueta and Jorginho. However, the bulk of the team will be formed by younger, inexperienced players that need to get their feet wet at the highest level. Players of that ilk can’t have immense pressure put on them if they are to flourish.
Lampard is a very promising manager but to be completely blunt, he is only getting this job because he is a club legend. And that will either be a blessing or a curse.
Chelsea can learn a lot by looking at other examples of big teams appointing club legends. For example, Milan have appointed club legends such as Clarence Seedorf, Pippo Inzaghi and Gennaro Gattuso as their managers over the past five years during a transitional period for the club. None have been successful despite being fan favorites during their playing days.
On the other hand, Real Madrid appointed club legend Zinedine Zidane despite him not having much managerial experience, and they went on to win three Champions League trophies in a row.
Unfortunately, it’s not so black or white for Chelsea. They aren’t in a crisis like Milan were, and they don’t have the quality of players that Zidane had when he started at Los Blancos. Chelsea are somewhere in the middle, which means there is no clear answer on how Lampard will do.
One can only hope he gets a proper chance with realistic expectations, or else this managerial merry-go-round will only continue for the Blues in the foreseeable future.
