After Graham Potter’s sacking, Frank Lampard has been appointed as Chelsea’s caretaker manager for the rest of the season. Potter took over from Thomas Tuchel in September but was dismissed on Sunday after just six months at Stamford Bridge. The team is currently 11th in the Premier League, with only five wins from 17 games since the season resumed in December after the World Cup. Lampard has been appointed while the club continues its search for a permanent replacement, having already spoken to Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique this week.
During his press conference on Thursday, Lampard praised Potter, whose team was booed off the pitch by Chelsea’s supporters following their 2-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa on Saturday. Lampard said that he had been thinking about his new role and speaking to people who would be helping him to do the job. He added that he had his own ideas about where he wanted to go and that he had watched the team play against Liverpool on Tuesday.
Lampard said that he wanted to give credit to Potter, who he did not know well but believed was a good man and a very good coach. He added that sometimes things did not align or work out for whatever reason, and that he had been in that situation personally. Lampard stressed that he would not be looking backwards, but would focus on things that could help the team move forward.
Lampard also said that every Chelsea player would be given a clean slate following his return to Stamford Bridge. He acknowledged that modern-day football had big squads and that Chelsea might be at the top end of that. Lampard remembered being there before and having lots of difficult decisions to make about really good players and good people who were not involved that week. He said that part of the job was to manage that situation and make every player feel included.
Lampard believed that going into this short-term role was a positive thing for him because everyone could have a clean slate and show their competitive nature in training, which could then crossover onto the pitch. He said that the squad was a good thing because players could push each other and try to manage that.
In conclusion, Lampard has been appointed as Chelsea’s caretaker manager for the rest of the season while the club continues its search for a permanent replacement. Lampard praised Potter, who he believed was a good man and a very good coach. Lampard stressed that he would not be looking backwards, but would focus on things that could help the team move forward. He said that every Chelsea player would be given a clean slate and that he would try to manage the situation and make every player feel included.