Frank Lampard back to give Chelsea 'stability' and chase unlikely Champions League dream

Caretaker manager makes emotional return to club that has already sacked two coaches this season

Frank Lampard is Chelsea's record scorer with 211 goals in 648 appearances between 2001 and 2014. PA

Some 800 days after being sacked as Chelsea manager, Frank Lampard was back at the training site where he knows the territory better than anybody.

His record there as a player – highest goalscorer, a sweep of all the major trophies – and experience there as a manager lend a logic to his appointment as caretaker manager, a role formalised on Thursday, and as the firefighter to quell a crisis set about by the dismissal of two Chelsea managers so far this season, Graham Potter and Thomas Tuchel.

Lampard, sacked by Everton in January, has been asked to provide “stability” and to chase one very ambitious dream, the Champions League title, before Chelsea make a permanent managerial appointment in the summer.

‘Permanent’ is always a loose term at the club where Lampard took orders from 10 different managers during a garlanded 13-year career as a dynamic Chelsea midfielder.

When he was invited back to manage them he became one of 18 different men in charge so far in the 21st century. He therefore has a detailed handle on the insecurities of the position and the corrosive effect that can have on a manager’s authority over players; what he now knows is that managerial uncertainty seems to be a chronic condition at Chelsea, regardless of the owner.

When Lampard was previously hired and then sacked as manager within 19 months, it was Roman Abramovich who brought him in and shipped him out, while expressing his personal affection for the former England midfielder.

The re-hiring, albeit on an interim basis, has been done by new owners, headed by the US-based Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, who in less than year since taking over found fault with Tuchel, who succeeded Lampard in January 2021, and Potter, dismissed last weekend.

But they do appreciate Lampard has cachet with supporters and several current players in Chelsea’s vast squad. “A legend at this club,” Boehly and Eghbali were quoted as saying of Lampard in a Chelsea statement. “We are delighted to welcome Frank back. He has all the characteristics we need to drive us to the finish line.”

Graham Potter was sacked as Chelsea manager after less than seven months in charge. AFP

At Chelsea’s Cobham practice centre, players such as Mason Mount, Reece James, and Mateo Kovacic greeted the news of Lampard’s return with a degree of warmth.

All of them progressed as footballers during his previous term as Chelsea manager, and each of them has seen the new owners invest heavily in players in their positions. Lampard himself will regard the timing of N’Golo Kante’s return from a long injury – the France midfielder made his first start since August in the goalless draw with Liverpool on Tuesday – as a happy omen.

He can think of good precedents too, for coaches who have arrived at Chelsea in a crisis and made a resonant impact. Roberto di Matteo was bought in on an interim basis in 2011-12; he finished the season overseeing the club’s first Champions League title. Tuchel won Chelsea their second European Cup barely four months after replacing Lampard.

Chelsea 0 Liverpool 0: Player ratings

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  CHELSEA RATINGS: Kepa Arrizabalaga 6 - A quiet game for the goalkeeper who was comfortable enough saving Joe Gomez’s effort, while he was a spectator for most of the second half. AP

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  Marc Cucurella 6 - Quick to react to danger and intervened to stop Diogo Jota’s chance inside the box. Getty

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  Kalidou Koulibaly 7 - The Senegal international could have been better on the ball at times, but it was an overall solid defensive performance. Getty

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  Wesley Fofana 6 - An excellent block got in the way of Fabinho’s volley from close range that looked to be beating the goalkeeper. Battled well when isolated against Nunez. EPA

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  Ben Chilwell 6 - Stretched the play down the left flank and made a number of impressive passes that moved Chelsea into promising areas. AFP

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  Reece James 7 - Didn’t allow any space down the right wing and showed composure when in possession, dribbling past players who were counter-pressing him. Unlucky not to score with an offside ruling out his well struck volley. Action Images

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  N’Golo Kante 8 - A strong return to action as Kante looked like he hadn’t been away. The France international frustrated Liverpool in central areas, and excelled at winning back possession. Getty

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  Mateo Kovacic 6 - Timed runs forward to get into promising positions but he has to do better with his chance that he hit off target just after the break. Kept things ticking in midfield for the Blues. AFP

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  Enzo Fernandez 8 - A standout star for Chelsea, dictating the match with his passing while also being able to win the ball back on countless occasions. Excellent with his pressing to force Liverpool into mistakes. PA

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  Kai Havertz 5 - Not good enough in front of goal and unconvincing with his efforts. Had the ball in the net from a strike that came back off his arm and past Alisson Becker. AFP

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  Joao Felix 7 - Bright when in possession and appeared unphased by pressure. At the heart of many of Chelsea’s best attacks, but could have been better with his final touch. Getty

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  SUBS: Conor Gallagher (Kante 69) 6 - Didn’t have enough touches to make an impact, but passed the ball well in attacking areas. Getty

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  Mykhailo Mudryk (Chilwell, 78) - Utilised his pace down the left flank but didn’t create anything meaningful. Raheem Sterling (Felix, 85) - N/A. AFP

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  LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson 7 - Denied Kai Havertz in the first half with a strong save from close range. Saved again from the Germany international after the break, with a handball deflection helping him maintain his clean sheet. AFP

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  Kostas Tsimikas 3 - A sloppy pass early-on almost allowed Chelsea to score the opener four minutes in and that set the tone for his performance. Slow to read danger and too many mistakes. Reuters

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  Joel Matip 5 - Recovered well after being beaten by Joao Felix inside the box with what looked to be a goal-saving block. Beaten too easily later on in the half, while his passing sometimes left a lot to be desired. EPA

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  Ibrahima Konate 5 - Block prevented Mateo Kovacic from scoring the opener, though Konate didn’t look as comfortable as normal alongside Matip. AFP

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  Joe Gomez 6 - An effort from range was hit well but not troubling the goalkeeper too much. Struggled to make an impact in forward areas, but defended well when called upon. AP

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  Fabinho 4 - Sloppy at times when giving away fouls and was eventually booked. Had one of Liverpool’s best chances with a volley that was blocked by Fofana. AP

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  Jordan Henderson 4 - More care was needed from the Liverpool skipper in attacking areas as he often miscued the ball. Commanded his side well when there was danger. Getty

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  Curtis Jones 6 - Patient with his approach and took care of the ball. Played a well-timed pass to Diogo Jota that the Portugal international could have struck first time. Reuters

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  Darwin Nunez 5 - Looked bright with time on the ball, but it frequently came to nothing as he was crowded out. A strike just after the hour mark was hit too central which made it easy for Kepa to stop. Reuters

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  Roberto Firmino 6 - Linked play impressively in the first half, with his decision-making standing out under pressure. Faded before he was eventually replaced by Mohamed Salah. AFP

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  Diogo Jota 5 - Drifted in and out and looked to be lacking confidence when in the box, taking too long to strike the ball when he had time on his left foot in the first half. Performance deteriorated after the break in an attack that was out of sync. Action Images

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  SUBS: Mohamed Salah (Firmino, 65) 5 - Never had enough space to make an impact, and was often crowded out by Chelsea defenders. AP

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  Andy Robertson (Tsimikas 65) 6 - Anticipated the play well. Helped secure Liverpool’s left side that had struggled before he came on. AFP

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  Cody Gakpo (Jones, 79) - Deployed on the left flank but faced similar struggles to Salah, with little space to work with. EPA

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  James Milner (Nunez, 79) - A cameo that saw him overtake Frank Lampard in the all-time Premier League appearance standings. AFP

Europe will be firmly on Lampard’s mind, even if Saturday’s trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers and the need to lift Chelsea into the top half of the Premier League, feels urgent.

Next week Real Madrid roll into London, and among Lampard’s homework tasks will be analysing Madrid’s most recent matches, a 6-0 walloping of Valladolid and Wednesday night’s startling 4-0 win over Barcelona at Camp Nou in the Copa del Rey. Karim Benzema scored hat-tricks in both games; Chelsea have scored no goals at all in their last two fixtures.

The Madrid quarter-final brings Lampard a reunion with Carlo Ancelotti, once the Chelsea manager who most effectively maximised Lampard’s goalscoring potential. They have much to discuss. Ancelotti is in his second spell with Madrid, Lampard now a returnee to the Chelsea dugout. Ancelotti’s other Premier League job was with Everton, where Lampard was one of his successors.

The next stage in his managerial career has come quickly, and unexpectedly, and if the short-term role – keeping the seat warm, perhaps for Julian Nagelsmann or Luis Enrique – back at Chelsea feels like a demotion, it may yet serve to recover a reputation dented at Everton. A win over Madrid would be a ringing endorsement. A clamber up the Premier League to a European qualifying spot would fulfill his mission.