As Frank Lampard leaves Stamford Bridge, so does the fanciful notion that Chelsea really care about the club’s identity, the connection to the heart of the fan base or the development of young players.
Very briefly, last season, those things seemed to matter. Billionaire Roman Abramovich’s owner appears to have chosen a new direction by naming Lampard.
However, it was just an illusion, or rather, a corporate trick to escape a complicated situation with a transfer ban at stake and an increasingly uneasy crowd, bored with Maurizio Sarri’s football and increasingly disconnected.
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich (R) has shown that he is not interested in creating a new identity for the club after firing Frank Lampard
Europe’s most famous managers didn’t like the job. Eden Hazard, the team’s only genuine star, was on his way to Real Madrid and the return of Lampard, a club legend in good faith as a Chelsea player, really raised the mood.
There were reservations about the lack of experience, after only a single season in Derby in the Championship, but he made up for the lack of managerial acumen with his history as a player and popularity among fans who go to matches.
Abramovich’s first English coach brought with him a backstage team of familiar faces, with links to the club’s successful academy, and they relied on the promising talents newly formed in the grassroots categories.
Mason Mount, Reece James and Tammy Abraham responded well. Others also blinked, like Fikayo Tomori in the early stages and Billy Gilmour and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Lampard’s appointment suggested a new chapter for the club aimed at young players
He worked hard to cross talented stars and worked magic with Mason Mount (L)
Lampard’s confidence in youth sparked excitement around a hungry team that could thrive in the top flight
Chelsea won 5-2 at Wolves in September 2019 with a hat trick from Abraham and a goal from Tomori and Mount. These vintage fans quickly drew lively parallels with the Tommy Docherty team of the 1960s.
It was built around exciting players emerging from a prolific youth system and led to the best years in the club’s history before Abramovich’s arrival.
If the crowd had been inside the bridge, it might have been more difficult to expel Lampard. Radical fans continue to firmly support the head coach and his commitment to young players.
He may have survived a little longer, but in the final analysis, it wouldn’t have made much difference because, if that proves anything, it proves that there is no room for feelings about Abramovich.
Lampard failed to produce results and struggled to integrate six high profile hires
His attempt to create a new vision for Chelsea was ruined by tension at the camp and a weakening of form.
The owner replaced Lampard because the results have been poor. His score per game in the Premier League is low, peeking at the kingdoms of André Villas-Boas and Luiz Felipe Scolari. They didn’t last long either.
Chelsea are moving away from the top four. His status in the Champions League is again in doubt and that is what drives him. Youth identity and development may be cool, but winning trophies and staying with the elite is what matters most to Abramovich.
After spending about £ 220 million on new players, he probably expected a more successful campaign. Lampard, however, has struggled to integrate six high-profile signings without losing the progress made last season and with a bigger team and senior stars on the periphery, there has been tension and friction on the field as the form has faded.
Should Thomas Tuchel replace Lampard, where does that leave the Chelsea stars?
Thomas Tuchel will replace him and it might make some sense to hire a German coach to bring the best of these expensive Bundesliga signings: Timo Werner, Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic.
What does this mean for young local players? Is there room for Havertz and Mount on the same team? Lampard found it difficult to accommodate the two. Still, Mount has been Chelsea’s best and most consistent player for the past 18 months.
And where does that leave the search for identity? When Carlo Ancelotti was appointed in 2009, he was ordered to form a team with identity because, despite all the success and the two Premier League titles under José Mourinho, Abramovich wanted a team with more talent, adventure and personality.
Nothing pleases Abramovich, who wants success and also a Chelsea team with personality
We can no longer pretend that Chelsea are serious about creating a new path for youth or creating a connection with their fan base
Ancelotti won the pair, playing attractive football, although mainly with the team built by Mourinho, who later came back and won the Premier League, playing the way his teams usually play and was fired a second time.
So you bring success and it is not enough. You hand over identity and that is also not enough. There is really no ruthless and pleasant Roman. That’s nice. It is his set of trains and those he rents and fires and is well paid for the dangers they face.
But we will no longer pretend that Chelsea are serious about creating a path for their young players or acquiring an identity or really caring about what fans want. This misconception will leave Lampard.