Frank Lampard's tenure at Chelsea concluded in a manner typical for managers under Roman Abramovich. After a series of poor performances, the legendary former player was fired on Monday, with reports suggesting that Thomas Tuchel, the former boss of PSG and Borussia Dortmund, is the likely successor.
Frank Lampard’s managerial spell at Chelsea had a similar consummation as pretty much every other full-time manager at the club in Roman Abramovich’s time. After a line of helpless outcomes, Lampard, a club legend, was sacked on Monday, with reports demonstrating that previous Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) manager Thomas Tuchel is set to take over the position.
Since Roman Abramovich acquired the club in 2003, almost every permanent manager has been sacked, except for Maurizio Sarri. Sarri departed for Juventus in 2019, though he remained an unpopular figure with the supporters. Lampard took over from Sarri at a difficult time, just as the club was entering a transfer ban for two consecutive windows due to various irregularities.
A fourth-place finish and an FA Cup final appearance initially made his first year look like a success. However, the goalposts moved when the club invested heavily in the squad during the summer 2020 transfer window, drastically increasing the demands placed on Lampard.
As the new arrivals struggled to find their footing and results continued to slide, Lampard expressed his disappointment that he wouldn't have the chance to lead the team to the levels expected of them this season.
Although Lampard's time in charge didn't work out, it's common across Europe for clubs to hire legendary former players. Many of these managers start with very little top-flight experience, but they often get a grace period from the fans because of their status as club icons.
Timing and context also play a huge role. For instance, if Pep Guardiola had taken the helm at Barcelona two years earlier than 2008, he would have inherited a Champions League-winning side, and the expectations would have been vastly different. Meanwhile, Diego Simeone has built a lasting legacy at Atletico Madrid, now entering his tenth year.
Lampard wasn't the only former player managing his old club this season. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United and Mikel Arteta at Arsenal are other examples of this trend. Similarly, Zinedine Zidane returned for a second successful stint at Real Madrid, while Andrea Pirlo has faced some early challenges as the boss of Juventus.
Arteta at Arsenal are two other people who have managed their clubs up until now. At Real Madrid, the exceptionally fruitful Zinedine Zidane is into his second spell as manager of the club and as Juventus chief, Andrea Pirlo has had a couple of early hiccups.