‘The stars are aligned’ – Frank Lampard opens up possibility of switch from Derby County to Chelsea

This comes after the former Rams boss revealed that taking the job at Stamford Bridge was a “no-brainer”, although he admitted his path to the job was not straightforward. most clearly.

How has Lampard performed as Derby County coach?

Lampard took charge of Derby in the summer of 2018, in his first senior management role.

His first campaign at Pride Park was largely successful as he guided the club to the Championship play-off final in the 2018/19 season.

However, the Rams will miss out on promotion to the Premier League after being beaten 2-1 by Aston Villa in the final at Wembley. This will be Lampard’s last game in charge of Derby, after leaving the club last summer to return to Chelsea, where he remains the club’s top scorer, this time as coach.

Now it seems the former England international was never in doubt about his role at Stamford Bridge, although he knows the appointment is somewhat unusual given his managerial experience.

On Monday, Lampard appeared in Sky Sports’ coverage of Chelsea’s trip to Fulham, which they won 2-0 at Craven Cottage.

During the programme, the former Chelsea manager discussed the process that led to his appointment and arrival at Stamford Bridge, as well as his decision to make the move.

Reflecting on taking over as Chelsea manager, Lampard said:
“A year at Derby County and reaching the play-off final is not the way to become Chelsea manager, so when I got there I realized there were a lot of reasons to do with the star squad. “With the embargo, a lot of the managers who would have got the Chelsea job at that time may not have wanted or been ready to come in under those circumstances. I have no doubt it worked for me.

“I have a great history at the club and I have accepted it and the challenge is not a problem for me. Obviously I have to accept this position to then try to show that I have qualified to do this job. I feel at home, but I know I still have to do my job.

Lampard’s first season in charge of Stamford Bridge saw the club finish fourth in the Premier League table, while also reaching the FA Cup final, where they were beaten by Arsenal. However, the second season proved more challenging for Lampard, and he was sacked in January 2021 with the club eighth in the table, five points off the Champions League places.

After a difficult time with Everton, Lampard returned to Chelsea as interim coach for the last two months of last season.

However, this period also proved difficult for him, as Lampard won just once in his 11 games in charge in his second spell at Stamford Bridge, and the club finished this season in 12th place in the Premier League. League.

Is it true that Lampard left Derby to go to Chelsea?

It’s an interesting question to consider from Lampard’s perspective, given the circumstances. On the one hand, you can understand why he would want to take on this role, given his long and deep association with Chelsea.

However, as he admits, it was a big step forward at the time, given his management experience at the time, and that certainly showed in the way things were done. combined with his later stint as manager, may have made it difficult for him to find another job of this nature.