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Frank Lampard didn’t have to be a football manager. Financially secure after a brilliant playing career and articulate enough for media and ambassadorial work, he chose to get his hands dirty in arguably the toughest jobs in the Premier League.
If he regrets being sacked now by Chelsea and Everton, it’s probably only fleeting.
Football has been in Lampard’s blood ever since he watched his father Frank Sr play for the West Ham player, so it’s only natural that he wants to continue.
Frank Lampard may have to look outside the Premier League for his next job after Everton
Everton’s 2-0 defeat at West Ham on Saturday was the last straw, as Lampard was sacked.
The result leaves the Toffees penultimate in the Premier League table, with just 15 points
The big question is which club would pick him now and is he ready to leave the Premier League to resurrect his career?
Lampard has been there before. He was appointed Derby County manager in 2018 aged just 39, citing the “management pull” after initially heading to the television studio after retirement.
He made a fine fist at Pride Park, reaching the Championship play-offs and showing his coaching potential by developing youngsters on loan Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori.
In the long term it might have been better for him to continue his apprenticeship in the East Midlands.
Instead, his beloved Chelsea called in the summer of 2019, an offer he couldn’t refuse. “Everyone knows the history we’ve shared,” said Lampard, who had won all the club’s major trophies as a goal-free midfielder.
Lampard demonstrated his Championship success as Derby reached the play-off final.
They lost the Wembley final to Aston Villa in 2019, but Lampard can return to the second division
Lampard’s appointment represented a change for owner Roman Abramovich, who had previously opted for proven managers. But with the Blues under a transfer embargo, they needed someone who had a connection to the fans and could bring in young players.
Lampard made good on his end of the deal with local players Mount, Reece James and Tammy Abraham moving on to the England team.
He qualified for the Champions League in his first season and then helped them through the group stage.
But he was sacked in January 2021 before the knockout rounds began, and Abramovich was concerned about the club’s mid-table league position.
Lampard perhaps should have continued at Derby, but the pull of former club Chelsea was strong.
The boss was sacked in January 2021 after a season and a half in the hot seat at Stamford Bridge.
If Lampard had a difficulty, it was managing top international stars while trying to lower the team’s average age.
His freezing of Antoni Rudiger looked particularly questionable as the German became a mainstay under Lampard’s successor Thomas Tuchel as Chelsea won the Champions League.
A month after Lampard arrived at Stamford Bridge, David Luiz was leaving for Arsenal. Would the Brazilian’s permanence have made a difference? What is clear is that Lampard did not strike the right balance between youth and experience.
The popular former England international vowed to learn from his mistakes when he was appointed Everton manager to succeed Rafa Benítez last January.
He brought in an experienced boss, Paul Clement, to work alongside him. Jody Morris, his longtime assistant, was not among the staff he brought to Goodison Park.
Lampard brought in manager Paul Clement to his Everton backroom staff to provide experience
The manager felt he was too close to former assistant Jody Morris and therefore ignored his own instincts.
Lampard felt that their friendship meant that he sometimes listened to Morris instead of following his own gut feeling.
At Everton, Lampard found a traditional working-class club that he recognized from his first club, West Ham.
They used that passionate support to make a great escape from relegation by beating Crystal Palace in their penultimate game.
Lampard made major strategic decisions this summer with the sale of star striker Richarlison to Tottenham and budget constraints on who he could sign.
Despite a natural regard for playing attractive football, Lampard decided to place his faith in Everton being brave and stubborn.
The former England star celebrates the victory over Crystal Palace that ensured Everton’s survival
Lampard kept Everton in the Premier League but this season was always going to be difficult
Warhorse center backs Conor Coady and James Tarkowski were signed. Also forwards Dwight McNeil and Neal Maupay, better known for making a switch than changing the game with a moment of magic.
History shows that the policy did not work. With leading goalscorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin rarely being fully fit, Lampard regularly opted for a back-five, successful in games like a 1-1 draw at Manchester City.
But every time he tried to be more adventurous, Everton fell apart. The atmosphere at Goodison turned toxic after a 4-1 home defeat against Brighton.
Although much of the anger was directed at Farhad Moshiri and the board, it was Lampard who paid the price after a 2-0 defeat at West Ham on Saturday left them in bottom place.
Lampard retained the support of most Everton fans, who instead blamed the club’s ownership.
Fan protests against bosses Farhad Moshiri and Bill Kenwright have intensified in recent weeks.
The pair have been criticized for their lack of direction for the club amid troubles on the pitch.
Like Steven Gerrard, Lampard’s personal professionalism and track record of success have led to problems dealing with the modern player who may not be all that talented.
Gerrard’s fight with Tyrone Mings fell apart at Villa Park. Lampard tried to be more adaptable after the Rudiger situation at Stamford Bridge, but one of his last acts at Goodison was to banish midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure to train alone. Michael Keane has barely kicked a ball for the club this season.
While Lampard inspired Mount, the brightest talent on Everton’s books, Anthony Gordon, has not featured this season after being the subject of interest from Chelsea. It’s difficult for wingers when their team doesn’t have the ball.
Even Manchester City’s illustrious boss Pep Guardiola would have a hard time succeeding at Everton.
Lampard is only 44 years old and has too much football knowledge and drive for his coaching career to end.
Even Pep Guardiola would have been in trouble given the current circumstances at Goodison.
Even so, the former England star will have to accept that the next job will have to be somewhere to learn, be it in the Championship where Michael Carrick and Vincent Kompany are successfully building their reputations, or abroad.