When you’ve got one of the highest IQs in the world, you might as well put it to good use. Chelsea manager Frank Lampard intends to do just that. Speaking to Sky Sports, the Blues gaffer said he thinks his squad will have to do things differently to reach the top of the Premier League.
Frank Lampard Refuses to ‘Copy’ Other Clubs
Chasing the Leaders
Lampard had nothing but praise on The Football Show for the current kings of English football, Liverpool and Manchester City. He said: “I don’t want to jump the gun because what Liverpool and Manchester City have done has been clear; I’d be a fool to suggest we can bridge that gap quickly because there has been a lot of hard work at those clubs in terms of recruitment of top players, of great coaches.”
Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp have no doubt had a head start with City and Liverpool respectively. Guardiola has built his squad brilliantly over the past four seasons, leading to the first domestic treble in English history last year. Klopp, meanwhile, has also constructed his squad meticulously, leading to two consecutive Champions League final appearances, winning the competition last year. At the same time, the Reds pushed City to the brink last year domestically and were absolutely blowing everyone out of the water this year to near perfection.
Lampard, on the other hand, has not had that same amount of time. But in his first year at Stamford Bridge, he’s gotten Chelsea into a respectable fourth place. To go beyond that?
Chelsea’s Unique Approach
After waxing lyrical about league rivals, he transitioned to how he plans to restore Chelsea to the pinnacle. “We have to be part of that process. We have to do it our way, we can’t try to copy. We have had experienced players around this year to help the youngsters but we know there are little areas within the squad… some of that’s what we have on the ground here already, some of that is how we might look to recruit.”
Certainly, that recruitment means a move towards younger, emerging stars. Last year, Chelsea signed American Christian Pulisic at the age of 20 from Borussia Dortmund. This year, the Blues secured Ajax’s Hakim Ziyech, 27, to join next year. A
Lampard brought everything full circle with a question he asked and answered himself. “How can we progress from here? We have youth; we’ve been searching at times for consistency, which I think can happen with a young team. I’m pretty happy with where we’re at but I want a lot more. As a manager, you’re never ready to settle.”
Lampard never settled as a player and isn’t as a manager either. That tenacity and the self-reflection he’s had time to do should encourage Chelsea fans for the future. They may not be ready quite yet, but the Blues are coming.
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