Frank Lampard, the current manager of Chelsea Football Club, believes that the team’s recent string of defeats should not affect his reputation as a coach. Despite taking charge of the club only a short while ago, Lampard has overseen five consecutive losses, including a 2-0 defeat to Brentford on Wednesday.
Lampard was brought in to replace Graham Potter, who had been appointed in September after Thomas Tuchel’s surprise dismissal. This is Lampard’s second stint as Chelsea manager, having been sacked by former owner Roman Abramovich in 2021. He is currently in charge until the end of the season, with rumors circulating that former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino is in line to take over as the club’s next permanent manager.
Lampard’s reputation has already been tarnished by his sacking at Everton in January, where he left the team in a relegation battle. With Chelsea currently in 11th place and at risk of finishing outside of the top half of the Premier League for the first time since 1996, Lampard’s association with the club’s struggles could be damaging to his future prospects. However, Lampard sees things differently, believing that potential employers must understand the state of the club prior to his arrival.
“I took the job on knowing the jeopardy of what it might be, but I’m very proud to manage here,” Lampard said. “I came here in 2019 when we had a difficult moment before, and we had big success in my first year. I went to Everton and had a challenge to stay in the league. I stayed in the league.”
While Lampard admits that he wants to win games, he also recognizes that the team has some underlying issues that need to be addressed. “I understand the problems as to why we’re probably not winning games,” he said. “Those things take time and they take a bit of work, then maybe something goes in your favor. Against Brentford, nothing went in our favor.”
Under Lampard’s leadership, Chelsea has suffered defeats to Wolves, Brighton, and Brentford in the Premier League, as well as being knocked out of the Champions League quarter-finals by Real Madrid.
The team has failed to score in four of Lampard’s five matches, as he struggles to unite a disparate group of players assembled during co-owner Todd Boehly’s £550 million ($684 million) spending spree in the last 11 months. Despite the team’s current woes, Lampard remains determined to turn things around.
“In the short-term, I’m not worried,” he said. “People will perceive you in a different way anyway. I want to win games, that’s clear. But those things take time.”
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