Chelsea’s humiliating 3-1 defeat against Manchester City on Sunday threw Frank Lampard’s career into jeopardy. The manager has faced harsh criticism for the club’s poor form having lost 4 out of his last 6 games which sees Chelsea sit at an unimpressive 9th position in the English Premier League table. Now a manager who had taken Chelsea to a 16-game unbeaten run, effortlessly qualified to the Champions League and in his 1st season, despite a transfer ban entered the top four having defeated two of the World’s best managers, Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, shouldn’t be facing harsh criticism. But the heavy expenditure and massive investment that Chelsea made in the summer transfer window to bring 5 quality players in has made it tougher for Frank to hold on to his job.
Two other clubs in the Premier League currently have legacy player turned managers: Mikel Arteta who manages Arsenal; and Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, the Manchester United boss. If you had to pick one right now, it is Ole since United are now one win away from going at the top in the Premier League. A month ago, it was probably Lampard, and maybe by the end of the 2020 season, it was Arteta who shined but has witnessed an extremely poor 2021 season.
The biggest basis of criticism that these managers face is that they are inexperienced and have been given too big a stage early in their career. The perfect example given by some is that of Liverpool Legend Steven Gerrard who is currently making positive headlines in Scotland for an excellent unbeaten 22 match run as the manager of Rangers Football Club. Several experts are already advising Gerrard to not join Liverpool with less experience but with the kind of job Jurgen Klopp is doing there, that post isn’t going to vacate itself soon.
So what should be the approach of clubs towards these legacy players turned managers in today’s times where managers are sacked for fun and clubs are sent into serious instability. Chelsea has been the perfect example of this, something that has at times worked well for them with quick success but has not provided any longevity or stability. But with Lampard’s one and a half years till now has seen many positives, one of which is the Chelsea youth stepping up. Mason Mount is now a regular in the Chelsea lineup, Reece James has been a great find and Tammy Abraham has already scored 20 goals for the club.
Be it Lampard, Arteta, or Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, with criticism coming as heavy as it gets one thing is certain. We may not see all three of them get through the season if results don’t keep coming their way.