The Premier League is the biggest football league in the entire world. There is no denying it. Football fans from all over the world watch the league to support their favorite teams and see who comes on top. Chelsea FC has been one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League for over a decade but with a couple of bad seasons the past years they decided to go back to the roots and hire The Blues legend, Frank Lampard, as manager. Lampard has done a terrific job in his first season and this article wants to showcase that and look even further into the future - how is Frank Lampard bringing back and in doing so also changing the culture of the club.
Chelsea FC is owned by Roman Abramovich who turned the club around by investing a lot in the club. Abramovich is a flamboyant owner who always looks happy and like he just won big money in the casino.
The current squad and what Lampard has done
When Lampard took over Chelsea FC was transfer restricted. This meant that they could not buy any players on the transfer market, which greatly limits a top time in The Premier League. Not being able to increase the quality of the squad and strengthen certain key positions make the manager’s job a lot harder. Lampard did something, a thing he might have been forced into due to the transfer ban, that is unlike Chelsea FC’s way of conducting business.
Chelsea have never been known for making their own talents. The club is still somewhat young and wasn’t a contender for the league until Abromovich stepped in with his money. Therefore, the club hasn't had the greatest experience in finding and developing young talent. The Chelsea academy has always been quite unknown but last season a lot of youngsters from the academy played a crucial part of the club’s success. Becoming 4th in the league. That is a huge effort for Lampard and the squad considering the transfer ban and the decision to sell Eden Hazard - one of the best players in the league - to Real Madrid.
Lampard - the club legend
There is no doubt about the fact that Lampard has the respect of the staff and the locker room. Other than being one of the club’s biggest legends, being a sublime player for the club and staying loyal throughout the years, he also showed himself as a great manager for Derby FC. He secured promotion for the club and secured them a good run in the FA Cup. Lampard has the respect of everyone he meets by being a good guy and a great footballer.
Therefore, it doesn’t seem odd that he will do a good job as the Chelsea manager. The pressure is higher as Chelsea and for the manager you do not get many chances to prove yourself. As a player Lampard could never get sacked but history has shown everyone that Chelsea is a very hot seat. Abramovich doesn’t take losses lightly and happily fires managers. The question is, if things go wrong, how tight a leash does Lampard have?
After the transfer ban
The current transfer window has been a good one of The Blues. They have been saving money from the time they were banned from buying players and they have shown up to this transfer window wanting to make deals and improve the squad. Lampard and Abramovich has greatly increased the club’s potential to compete with Liverpool and Man City.
The offensive line from Chelsea is, on paper, one of the best in the league. Pulisic stepped up last season and has shown everyone that he can play on the big scene with the biggest players. Furthermore, the quality of players like Timo Werner, Kai Havertz and Ziyech makes the depth of the squad really, really strong.
Players that held Chelsea to the 4th place this season have been pushed to the bench for more quality players, which can cause some unhappiness, but the overall squad has improved a lot.
In the defensive area Chelsea have also improved. The pickup of Thiago Silva will give some experience and toughness to the Chelsea squad that they surely need.
But is it a trap?
Chelsea have always bought their way out of trouble. The question is if this is the way you can win championships in modern football. Buying quality players and ditching your youngsters can seem like a bad idea in the long run. The players who did so well last season have been replaced the second their transfer ban was lifted - how happy will they stay? Are they satisfied with a bench position and being a substitute player for the newcomers? Time will tell if they club can keep buying themselves out of trouble.
