Frank Lampard has secured a sensational return to Chelsea on an interim basis, it was confirmed on Thursday.
The 44-year-old will take on a managerial role with the Blues for the second time in his career, following the departure of Graham Potter last weekend.
His return to West London has been met with mixed feelings, as fans recall the troubles he endured during his previous 18-month stint as leader of the Blues.
However, some supporters have raised points about the good things Lampard has done in his day and offered optimism about his temporary appointment.
And so, here, Sports mail takes a look at all the things Lampard did right and wrong from his first stint… and what he can do to save Chelsea’s season.
Club legend Frank Lampard has been confirmed as Chelsea’s new agent
WHAT WENT WRONG
There’s no hiding the fact that Lampard’s stint as permanent Chelsea boss just didn’t work.
Expectations were high for the club legend, who had led Derby County to the Championship Play-Off Final in the season leading up to his accession.
However, the move from Pride Park to Stamford Bridge was always going to be a challenge for the ex-England star, who spent just 18 months in charge of Chelsea.
When Lampard arrived at the club in July 2019, they were still serving a two-year transfer ban for breaching FIFA rules in relation to their academy players.
That ban came to an end in February 2020 and in the summer spell that followed, Lampard oversaw a massive staff overhaul at the club.
Roman Abramovich’s side spent more than £215 million [€247million] that month, when they brought in Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, Ben Chilwell and Hakim Ziyech for lucrative fees.
Lampard struggled to make the most of lucrative signings Timo Werner (L) and Kai Havertz (R)
Former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich went all out during the summer transfer window in 2020 as the Blues completed a two-year transfer ban
It was not the route Lampard had taken, given his preference for using homegrown players at Chelsea.
However, with prices slashed due to the pandemic, Abramovich took the opportunity to sign some of Europe’s hottest young talents.
It ultimately backfired on the Blues, as they struggled to get the best out of some of those players – with Werner eventually leaving two years later.
However, it would be unfair to put all that blame on ex-owner Abramovich, as Lampard mismanaged some of those players.
For example, Werner was prolific in front of German side RB Leipzig before joining The Blues for a fee of £47.5 million.
He had made a name for himself as one of Europe’s best strikers, but would soon discover that his opportunities in the central role would be scarce at Chelsea.
Instead, Lampard opted to play Werner on the wing in many of his games – preferring Tammy Abraham as the lone striker – where he struggled to make any impact.
Werner was sent back to Germany just two years after completing a move to West London
Lampard proved to struggle with his tactics during his first spell as Chelsea boss
The German would score just six Premier League goals in his debut season in England’s top flight as Lampard failed to get the best out of him.
Tactically, Lampard proved himself a little off target at Chelsea and his persistence with a back four looked foolish when Thomas Tuchel arrived.
The German immediately put in a five-back formation and it resulted in just one loss from his first 15 games. Lampard, on the other hand, had lost three of his last seven games in charge.
Another aspect of Lampard’s tenure that led to his eventual departure was his disappointing performance in finals for the Blues.
Chelsea, accustomed to success in their club history, made it to two separate finals under Lampard – and they lost both.
The first was the UEFA Super Cup Final in August 2019, where they lost to previous Champions League winners, Liverpool, on penalties.
A year later, Lampard found himself in the dugout at Wembley as Chelsea took on Arsenal in the FA Cup final.
He was beaten by the Gunners’ current boss Mikel Arteta, who claimed the first trophy of his managerial career with a 2–1 victory over the Blues.
Thomas Tuchel won the Champions League with Chelsea four months after Lampard’s sacking
WHAT WENT WELL
Despite everything that went wrong for Lampard as Chelsea manager, there were also quite a few decisions he seemed to make right.
One aspect for which Lampard was particularly praised was the confidence he placed in some of Chelsea’s younger stars.
The Englishman would regularly pick some of their Cobham graduates – such as Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham, Reece James and Billy Gilmour – into his starting line-up.
Lampard even gave three of those four names [Abraham excluded] their Premier League debut, during his time at the club.
The youngsters had mixed results within the Chelsea team, with England midfielder Mount having the most success for Lampard.
The 24-year-old, who had been coached by Lampard at Derby the previous season, recorded seven goals and five assists in his debut season for the Blues.
Lampard developed a close relationship with Chelsea and English star Mason Mount (L)
Despite proving to be a useful player for the Blues in recent years, Mount’s future now remains up in the air after struggling to find his own throughout this campaign.
So perhaps you could say that Lampard held the key to unlocking Mount’s true potential, having brought the best out of him at both Derby and Chelsea.
And he’s not the only one who has thrived under Lampard’s leadership, with players like Abraham and Fikayo Tomori also doing well before being sold to Italy.
Abraham had proven himself a useful player during Lampard’s first season at Stamford Bridge, scoring 15 goals in the Premier League.
The following year, he became the first Chelsea youth team product to score 10 or more goals in consecutive seasons, but this was not enough to secure his future at the club.
Tuchel, who came in just three days after Lampard’s sacking, was not a fan of Abraham and quickly sold him to Roma.
Fikayo Tomori (L) and Tammy Abraham (R) played regularly for Lampard’s Chelsea before both players were later sold to Italian clubs
WHAT SHOULD HE DO NOW?
It is fair to say that Chelsea is going through a period of crisis at the club. Graham Potter’s departure has left their star-studded squad in disarray for the remainder of the campaign.
With a Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid next week and The Blues who are eleventh, Lampard must now try to stabilize the ship.
Chelsea have not won their last three games – drawing and losing twice – and a victory in their trip to Wolves on Saturday would certainly be a good start for him.
However, success in the Champions League would be the biggest achievement for Lampard, who was sacked just four months before the Blues won in 2020/21.
The Blues need to keep their ship steady for their crucial end to the 2020-21 campaign
Another task, which will be crucial to success at Chelsea, is for Lampard to cut off part of the squad and identify those he can trust.
Consistency has been the main issue for Chelsea, with a string of first-team players getting injured throughout the season, as well as a host of new faces being signed in the transfer window.
There are 31 first-team players listed on the club’s official website, yet Lampard is only allowed 18 for Premier League matches.
A number of players have already been linked with a possible move from West London in the summer and Lampard may very well start that process immediately.