Frank Lampard comments on his term as Chelsea interim manager. The return of the club icon ended in disappointment. However, the Englishman has no regrets.
Lampard was shocked after returning to Chelsea: “A team without solidarity”
Lampard was in charge of Chelsea for eleven games, after temporarily succeeding the fired Graham Potter. The Blues won only once. “But I’m not sorry I did it. It wasn’t the best period of my career, but I learned from it. If people judge me for six or seven weeks of work, I have no problem with that,” Lampard said in the podcast The Diary of a CEO.
“When I came to Chelsea, I found a team without togetherness,” Lampard explained. “We went into the last part of the season with nothing left to fight for. That did not help the motivation of the players. At Chelsea people were used to that.” After the Champions League elimination against Real Madrid, the team spirit went even further downhill.
The group of players was not on the same page, Lampard saw. “When I arrived I quickly saw that several players were already thinking about their near future outside Chelsea. There were big players walking around, who hadn’t appeared in the piece for seven months. I didn’t have a magic wand that I could suddenly enchant them with, so that they got motivated again.”
“Todd Boehly’s intentions were certainly good,” Lampard said. “They spent a lot of money. They did that to want to be the best, to get the most out of the club.” The American got a lot of players, so the selection was bulging. With the best of intentions, Lampard concluded.
Lampard: Man Utd get their hands on gold with Mount
United has access to an absolute gem with Mason Mount. That says Frank Lampard, who played a major role in the breakthrough of the 24-year-old Englishman.
Lampard first had Mount under his wing at Derby County. As manager of the Championship club, the former midfielder used his network to hire the then top talent. When Lampard was appointed manager at Stamford Bridge a season later, it quickly became clear that Mount would have a serious chance in the first team for The Blues. The midfielder seized that opportunity with both hands.
“I think he’s a great signing for United,” Lampard says in the Diary of a CEO podcast about the 36-time international who was bought from Chelsea for more than sixty million euros. “The great thing about working with Mason is that he gives you so much when it comes to his commitment. Everything you ask him, he can offer you. I think any really good player should have that game intelligence and drive.”
Lampard is sure that Mount will find his place in Erik ten Hag’s team. “Of course expectations are high, but he will definitely be able to adapt. If you’re trying to forge a group with a real team mentality, he definitely fits the bill. I think Mount will be a fantastic player there,” said Lampard, who had him under his wing as Chelsea interim manager for a few months last season.
