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After leaving the club in 2014, Frank Lampard is back at Chelsea. A few days ago, he was announced as the club’s new manager, just one year after taking his first managerial post at Championship side Derby County.
Lampard replaces Maurizio Sarri, who was in charge at Stamford Bridge for just a year, before returning to Italy to take over at Juventus. The 60-year-old often divided opinion at Chelsea, but finished third in the Premier League, securing Champions League football, as well as winning the Europa League.
Without a doubt, Lampard is one of the greatest players to have played for Chelsea. Between 2001 and 2014, the midfielder played over 600 times for the Blues in all competitions, scoring 211 goals, making him the highest goalscorer in the club’s history.
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He was a key member of what was the most successful period in Chelsea’s history. He won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, and captained the side on the night they won their Champions League title against Bayern Munich in 2012.
Now the 41-year-old must prove himself as a manager at Chelsea. Last season at Derby, he finished sixth in the Championship, leading them to the play-off final, where they were beaten by Aston Villa.
There will certainly be challenges for Lampard in the coming season. Chelsea are currently under a transfer ban, and have just sold Eden Hazard to Real Madrid, a man who was vital to their success last season. Here are five things Lampard must do as Chelsea's manager.
#1 Get the best out of N’Golo Kante
N’Golo Kante has been a revelation in English football since joining Leicester City from Caen in 2015. He was a vital part of Leicester City’s extraordinary run for the Premier League title in the 2015/16 season. Thereafter, he moved to Chelsea and lifted the league again the following season, for which he was named PFA Player of the Year. He also won the World Cup with France in 2018 and is still one of the league’s finest midfielders.
Last season, Maurizio Sarri played Kante in an unfamiliar more advanced midfield role, while using Jorginho at the base of his midfield three. There was some debate as to whether this got the best out of Kante, even though he grew into the role as the season went on. Lampard must now decide whether he wants to try and play Kante in a more defensive role to get the best out of him or experiment something new.
#2 Secure Callum Hudson-Odoi’s future
Callum Hudson-Odoi looks to be the brightest talent to come through Chelsea’s youth system for a long time, and he looks like he has the potential to go all the way to the top. The 18-year-old appeared 24 times for Chelsea in all competitions last season, with ten of those coming in the Premier League. He made a huge impact in the Europa League, where he played nine games. In those nine matches, he scored four times as well as provided two assists. His form was enough to impress England manager Gareth Southgate, who awarded the teenager his international appearance against Czech Republic in March.
The youngster refused to sign a new contract at Stamford Bridge though, as he demanded more first team football. Chelsea however turned down bids from Bayern Munich for Hudson-Odoi, in the hope that they can still convince him to stay beyond next summer. If anyone can do so, it will be Lampard, who showed in his time at Derby he is prepared to give youth a chance. With Eden Hazard gone, there is certainly a place for Hudson-Odoi in the side.
#3 Decide on his first-choice striker
One issue that has haunted Chelsea for the last couple of seasons is the form of their strikers. Since Diego Costa left, Alvaro Morata, Olivier Giroud and Gonzalo Higuain have all had spells up front for the Blues. However, none of them have done enough to secure a spot in the side. Morata will likely seal a permanent deal to Atletico Madrid and Higuain has returned to Juventus following an unsuccessful loan spell at Stamford Bridge.
This leaves Giroud as the most senior striker at the club. Although he finished as the Europa League’s top scorer last season, his goalscoring record in the Premier League since joining Chelsea is less than impressive.
Michy Batshuayi will return to Stamford Bridge after his loan spell at Crystal Palace and he will stake a claim for the spot up front. Another option for Lampard is youngster Tammy Abraham, who scored 25 goals on loan at Aston Villa last season. His record might just have earned an opportunity to play in the Premier League for Chelsea.
#4 Either play Danny Drinkwater or clear him out
Many people were surprised when Chelsea paid Leicester City £35 million for the signature of Danny Drinkwater at the start of the 2017/18 season. Two years on, it seems clear that this move simply hasn’t worked out. Drinkwater played just 12 times in the Premier League during his debut season at Stamford Bridge, and last season, he didn’t play a minute of competitive action after appearing against Manchester City in the Community Shield.
Lampard may feel that Drinkwater is capable of doing a job in the centre of the park, particularly alongside N’Golo Kante, with whom he formed a partnership with while at Leicester City. However, both Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic can play alongside Kante.
If Lampard decides that is the better option, then he should allow Drinkwater to leave the club in order to play regular football. The same also applies to Frenchman Tiemoue Bakayoko, who has returned from his season-long loan at AC Milan.
#5 Give youth a chance
It has been a constant criticism of Chelsea in recent years that they do not give enough opportunities to players who come through their academy. Both Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi have made excelled in the academy and now have the potential to play for the senior team.
With Chelsea’s transfer ban now in place for the next two windows, there should be a chance for young players to make their mark. There is a raft of talent coming through at Stamford Bridge. Two of the most talented players coming through are midfielder Mason Mount and full-back Reece James, both of whom have a good chance of making the grade at Chelsea.
Lampard has shown at Derby that he is more than willing to give young players an opportunity, and he would be right to do the same at Chelsea. It may not be the most successful ploy in the short term, but in the long term, it could really benefit Chelsea.
