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Frank Lampard will be given time to show that he deserves to remain in his role as Chelsea manager despite growing alarm behind the scenes about the performances and the club’s board being alerted to Thomas Tuchel’s interest in the position if available .
Chelsea’s wavering challenge for the title suffered another setback when they lost 3-1 at home to Manchester City on Sunday, putting Lampard in danger of being fired before the end of his second season in office. While City’s humiliating defeat is unlikely to cause the 42-year-old to be removed from office, he is under increasing pressure and the hierarchy could be forced to act if they fear that qualification for the Champions League will slip through their fingers. .
Tuchel, who led Paris Saint-Germain to the Champions League final last season before being fired by the French champions last month, has been proposed as a possible replacement.
The pressure on Lampard has grown after a four-game losing streak in six games, leaving the board increasingly concerned about the team’s lack of progress this season. Roman Abramovich, the owner, gave Lampard £ 220 million to spend on transfers last summer, but Chelsea are in eighth place after 17 games. They are seven points behind Liverpool in first place and unless their form improves, they face a fight to finish in the top four.
Lampard, whose contract expires in the summer of 2022, is believed to retain Chelsea’s backing for now. Conscious of their legendary status at Stamford Bridge, the club would rather not act hastily with their former midfielder. Lampard did well after replacing Maurizio Sarri in the summer of 2019, overcoming a transfer ban to qualify for the Champions League and reach the FA Cup final. He also earned accolades for promoting Chelsea’s young players.
Chelsea are poised to give Lampard a chance to reverse the slump, especially with the top half of the Premier League table so tight. They are due to host Morecambe in the FA Cup third round on Sunday, though the tie could be postponed following a Covid-19 outbreak at the League Two club, before a trip to Fulham on Friday offers a chance to return. to win. roads in the league.
However, expectations are higher this season. Although it is accepted that injuries to key players have made the task difficult, Lampard’s inexperience has been shown at times. Only in his third season in management, he had a year with Derby County in the Championship before returning to Chelsea, and while he still has locker room support, some players have questioned his approach in private.
There is concern that Lampard has yet to hit his best starting 11 and has struggled to integrate Kai Havertz and Timo Werner after their big moves from the Bundesliga. Havertz, who has struggled since testing positive for coronavirus in November, started on the bench against City, who were leading 3-0 at halftime, while eyebrows rose at Lampard’s decision to start Werner instead of Olivier Giroud or Tammy Abraham in center forward.
Werner has gone 13 games without a goal and has rarely caused problems for the City defense, while Lampard’s use of Callum Hudson-Odoi was also questioned. It was surprising when Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech, who had just returned from a hamstring injury, started on the flanks in place of Hudson-Odoi, who had impressed in recent outings and who scored Chelsea’s consolation after leaving Bank.
Chelsea’s approach was exposed by City and it is understood that some in the dressing room believe that the team does not have a clear identity under Lampard, who lashed out at his players in public after the Boxing Day loss to Arsenal.
However, the lack of clear alternatives could buy Lampard time. Chelsea’s first choice is believed to have been Mauricio Pochettino before the former Tottenham manager replaced Tuchel at PSG.
Tuchel has a stronger pedigree than Lampard and led PSG to the brink of European glory before losing the Champions League final to Bayern Munich last August. However, although the German has a reputation for playing attacking football, he struggled to cope with the internal politics of PSG.
Julian Nagelsmann is another option, although the 32-year-old German is unlikely to want to leave RB Leipzig until the summer. Max Allegri, the former Juventus coach, is also out of work and has been linked to the position.
The picture will clear up in the coming weeks. After taking on Morecambe and Fulham, Chelsea will want to see how Lampard fares in league games against Leicester, Burnley, Wolves and Tottenham. Chelsea’s round of 16 first leg against Atlético Madrid in the Champions League next month could also be instrumental in deciding their future.
