5 Premier League managers under the microscope
Frank Lampard, Chelsea
New Chelsea boss and club legend Frank Lampard has a tall order in front of him when he enters the technical area next season at Stamford Bridge. Not only will he be dealing with a transfer ban placed on the team by FIFA, but he’ll have to tackle his first season as a Premier League manager without the services tenured Blues talisman Eden Hazard, who was sold to Real Madrid earlier this summer.
After a successful campaign at Derby County during the 2018/19 season, leading the team to a play-off final against Aston Villa, ultimately falling just short of promotion, Lampard will hope to build upon his experience as a first time manager and deliver for a side who still has aspirations for domestic and European hardware. It won’t be easy, but it should be interesting to watch the progression.
Chelsea still boasts one of the better youth programs in the country and would be well served to give more first team playing time to some of their exciting yet unproven talents like Callum Hudson-Odoi when he returns from injury, Welsh defender Ethan Ampadu, midfielder Mason Mount, who played under Lampard last year at Derby and full back Reece James, one of Chelsea’s most promising prospects.
Lampard and assistant Jordy Morris know better than anybody what these players are capable of and should be able to properly assess where they fit into the outlook of the club going forward, something former manager Maurizio Sarri did not stay around long enough for to get a full grasp of. They could pay huge dividends this season and beyond.
Veteran presences at the club like Pedro, Willian, César Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Olivier Giroud and N’Golo Kanté remain and should give the team enough firepower to flirt with a top four finish in the league, but it certainly won’t be a given. Chelsea fans will need to keep a level head about the upcoming season, as there will be inevitable growing pains, but should Lampard be able to keep the team competitive, and he should, the future could spell bright things for an upstart manager and for a club that expects to compete for titles year in, year out.