Frank Lampard knows the end game. He has seen it from close range. He was part of the dressing room that was blamed for the departures of some of the nine managers Chelsea sacked during his playing days at Stamford Bridge.
They included their most successful manager ever, in Jose Mourinho, a Champions League winner a few months earlier, in Roberto Di Matteo, and the Double winner Carlo Ancelotti. He was appointed by the man, Roman Abramovich, who dismissed them, and a host of other coaches who have a superior CV to him. He is aware that while his return was cloaked in sentimentality, Abramovich can be famously unsentimental.
A manager who was irritated when Jurgen Klopp labelled Chelsea favourites to win the Premier League now tops a different table. Lampard leads the sack race. That it is only a month ago that Klopp made what looks a particularly poor prediction illustrates how swift Chelsea’s decline is. That it followed a 17-game unbeaten run indicates how recently Lampard seemed to be prospering.
Yet while there is merit to his argument not to get too carried away by the highs and lows of results, there is a counter-argument: this is Chelsea. One poor run can bring the end, even for managers who – unlike Lampard – have a track record of success at elite level. Luiz Felipe Scolari, Andre Villas-Boas and Di Matteo were all condemned by a first troubled spell. Even those who limp on recognise their time is limited: Claudio Ranieri branded himself a “dead man walking.”
There are other worrying precedents. Chelsea managers have a decidedly mixed record with marquee signings. Abramovich’s largesse can create complications. Andriy Shevchenko made Mourinho’s first side worse and the Portuguese’s inability to get the best from Abramovich’s friend marked the beginning of the end. Fernando Torres, the £50 million ($68.3m) gift Ancelotti never really seemed to want, only scored one goal for the Italian.
Now Kai Havertz, struggling with the after effects of Covid-19, is on the bench and Timo Werner’s goal drought has spanned 12 games. Lampard’s use of each can be queried: Havertz is the No 10 who has been parachuted into a team who do not use a No 10. Werner has often been deployed on the left and, if many of his goals for RB Leipzig came from the inside-left channel, it was with very different tactics.
If expenditure raises expectations and Chelsea’s acquisition of perhaps the two most coveted talents sold this summer suggested they could capitalise on others’ financial problems to leapfrog back to the summit, they have actually regressed. Their return of 26 points from 17 matches only puts them on course to get 58 points and would probably look worse if the Manchester clubs, Aston Villa and Tottenham had played their games in hand.
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Chelsea v Man City player ratings
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CHELSEA RATINGS: Edouard Mendy, 5 - Nothing the keeper could do about Gundogan’s accurate opener but could perhaps have forced the issue more against Raheem Sterling as the England man picked his spot before firing against the post, allowing de Bruyne to tap home the rebound. AP -
Cesar Azpilicueta, 4 - A really poor day as the Spaniard was regularly beaten to the punch by a combination of Phil Foden and Kevin de Bruyne, while his poor positional play was exposed. Getty -
Kurt Zouma, 5 - Another Chelsea defender who couldn’t live with the verve of City’s front three and it was a harsh reality check for a defender who has grown into his role at Stamford Bridge. AFP -
Thiago Silva, 4 - The Brazilian has been superb since signing from Paris St Germain, but this was easily his worst display in a Chelsea shirt. The centre back failed to deny the space required by Gundogan to squeeze home the opener and failed to organise his defence during the visitors’ first-half blitz. AP -
Ben Chilwell, 5 - Arguably his side’s best defender on the day and he did get forward during fleeting moments on the attack, but the former Leicester man still had his fair share of tricky moments against Raheem Sterling. PA -
Mateo Kovacic, 4 - Twice gave possession away in dangerous areas and can count himself lucky that the ruthless City forwards didn’t punish him for it. Booked for a poor tackle on Kevin de Bruyne and replaced for the final 20 minutes or so by Kai Havertz. Getty -
N’Golo Kante, 3 - A horrible day at the office that saw him regularly chasing shadows as City ran the Chelsea midfield ragged. His poor pass sparked a slick City counter that resulted in the visitors’ third and his lack of awareness could have cost his side more. Replaced by Billy Gilmour just after the hour. AP -
Mason Mount, 6 - Found it tough to get a foothold in the game as City took control of all areas within the opening 15 minutes, but a bursting run and cross was rewarded with a good finish by substitute Callum Hudson-Odoi in the closing stages. AP -
Hakim Ziyech, 4 - A game that largely passed the Moroccan by, with his only meaningful moment being an indirect free kick on the edge of the box that was charged down by the City defence. Replaced by Callum Hudson-Odoi in the 64th minute and will be lucky to start the next game. Getty -
Christian Pulisic, 5 - Like Ziyech, the winger failed to really get into the game, although not through any real fault of his own. He failed to pull the trigger when he worked the ball well with Timo Werner in the first half, instead choosing to hold on and wasting the chance. AP -
Timo Werner, 5 - He’s been waiting months to get his chance in a more central role, but the German still looks like a player who is low on confidence and he didn’t ever look like troubling City goalkeeper Zack Steffen. Getty -
SUBS: Callum Hudson-Odoi (Ziyech, 64’), 6 - Busted a gut to get on the end of a low Mason Mount cross to slot home for 3-1. AFP -
Billy Gilmour (Kante, 64’), 5 - The game was long gone by the time the young Scot was introduced. Getty -
Kai Havertz (Kovacic, 77’) N/R - Never looked like inspiring a late comeback. AP -
MANCHESTER CITY RATINGS: Zack Steffen, 6 - A bizarre moment saw the Premier League debutant pick up a Rodri backpass early on, but that was the only incident of note in a quiet afternoon between the sticks. AP -
Joao Cancelo, 7 - Could have faced a tough time against the combination of Christian Pulisic and Ben Chilwell on the Chelsea left, but the Portugal international was excellent and didn’t give the pair a sniff. PA -
John Stones, 7 - The former Everton man is clearly enjoying his City renaissance and didn’t put a foot wrong against opponents who struggled for creative spark in the final third. Getty -
Ruben Dias, 7 - Had to be alert against a couple of Chelsea set pieces in the first half but it was an otherwise leisurely afternoon for the big-money signing from Benfica. AP -
Oleksandr Zinchenko, 7 - With City maintaining their width via Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling didn’t see a great deal of the Ukrainian going forward, but he had an easy time of it against Hakim Ziyech. Getty -
Rodri, 8 - An excellent afternoon’s work in which he quickly strangled any life out of a Chelsea midfield. The City No 16 stroked the ball across the pitch with ease and kept a lid on any glimmer of a Chelsea fightback. EPA -
Bernardo Silva, 7 - Had moments where he could have got his name on the scoresheet, only for some last-ditch Chelsea defending to prevent a more significant impact. Booked for a poor challenge on Pulisic late on. Getty -
Ilkay Gundogan, 8 - A fabulous turn and finish opened the scoring whilst making Thiago Silva look like an amateur and the German was the best player on the pitch in the first half. AFP -
Phil Foden, 8 - The youngster has been starved of minutes recently but he took his goal brilliantly as he glided the ball home with a first-time effort, and on another day he could have had a couple more to his name. Brought off for the final few minutes and replaced by Riyad Mahrez. EPA -
Raheem Sterling, 7 - Unfortunate not to score when he rounded Mendy and hit the post with a curling effort despite plenty of attention from Chelsea defenders, but the loose ball fell to de Bruyne, who tapped home. Getty -
Kevin de Bruyne, 8 - Playing in a less familiar role as the central focal point of a front three, the Belgian was the beneficiary of some good fortune when Sterling’s effort cannoned off the post, allowing for an easy tap-in, and his movement caused the home back four a whole host of problems. AP -
SUBS: Fernandinho (Gundogan, 75’), N/R – Slotted into midfield to help comfortably see the game out. AP -
Sergio Aguero (de Bruyne, 86’), N/R – Too late for him to add to his impressive ten goals against Chelsea. AP -
Riyad Mahrez (Foden, 86’), N/R – Unable to get into the game. AP
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Lampard can say his side are a work in progress and, in mitigation, he has only been able to start Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic together once, but the numbers suggest they are regressing.
It is another indictment that Chelsea have a solitary win against current top-half sides: West Ham, in 10th. In a year where it appears almost anyone can beat anyone, Chelsea can't beat the better sides. The manner of defeats is doubly damning: Manchester City were sumptuous on Sunday but Chelsea's first-half displays against them and Arsenal were hapless.
The loss of a second-half lead to a goal-shy Wolves side was, Lampard thought, a failure of mentality, but that reflects on him. The annual defeat at Goodison Park felt familiar in its mediocrity.
What followed, however, had other parallels with the past. As Lampard can testify, there are often symbolic defeats in Chelsea managers’ reigns, points of no return. Sometimes managers limp on, as Antonio Conte did after a 6-0 thrashing by City and Maurizio Sarri, who escaped without technically being sacked, after a 4-0 walloping by Bournemouth, but their fate is sealed.
Perhaps only Abramovich knows if Lampard is in the same position, if he has gone from favourite son to sacrificial lamb. Lampard is realistic enough to know that legendary status serves as no protection. A man appointed in part because he knows the club is all too aware of how precarious the manager’s position tends to be.
