Arsenal were excellent as they climbed atop the Premier League table once more, but Chelsea were terrible and Frank Lampard is a managerial embarrassment.
1) “The first half we gave ourselves too much to do, we were very poor. You can’t lack energy and desire in the Premier League and we did. You can prepare as well as you want but if you turn up like that that’s another thing. It’s in the mind.
“I am very, very disappointed in the way we approached the first half because some things in football are basics. It is not tactics or systems, it is do you want to run, back your teammate out and sprint? Or do you want to jog and say ‘maybe I don’t have to run’ and we took that decision instead of the right one.”
Those were Frank Lampard’s views on a crushing defeat for Chelsea at Arsenal, but on Boxing Day 2020 instead of May 2023. It was a result for which he assumed “responsibility on the outside” before absolving himself of blame because “the message was clear – Arsenal are a dangerous team”.
He was sacked within the month and those “lazy” Blues went on to win the Champions League – a coincidental by product of the appointment of an actual coach in Thomas Tuchel.
Two and a half years later, almost nothing has changed. A stuttering Arsenal side cruised to a morale-boosting victory at the Emirates on the back of a scintillating first half. The scoreline was the exact same, 3-1 thoroughly flattering the visitors. Chelsea were summarily lacking in focus, concentration and effort but also direction, instruction and expertise, improving slightly in the second half. Lampard will question their attitude and effort a thousand times before contemplating whether his approach and set-up was the problem. He will be out of work in a matter of weeks and Mauricio Pochettino – if he still fancies it – will do an excellent job which is made to look phenomenal by the rank inadequacies of his predecessor.
It is almost impressive the extent to which Lampard has become a demonstrably worse manager with time and experience. Ten consecutive defeats and one win in 20 games is pathetic for a coach of his repute. A remarkable – and as yet not obviously available – level of introspection, or an exceptionally dense chairman will be required to ensure this is not the last Premier League post of his career.
2) One can only assume Frank Lampard will condemn his players for failing to carry out The Basics, but at some stage Frank Lampard…
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