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When Frank Lampard took over at Chelsea in 2019, there was optimism as well as doubts about whether the Englishman was the right man to lead the London club.
It was, after all, Frank Lampard's second year in senior football management, having managed Championship side Derby County in 2018-19.
Chelsea were on a transfer ban and their best player Eden Hazard was off to Real Madrid. Graeme Souness described Frank Lampard's job as the toughest one since Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003. Jamie Redknapp expressed doubts over Lampard taking Chelsea to a top-four finish or a cup trophy this season.
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However, Frank Lampard had arrived at Chelsea after making his name at Derby County where he took the Rams to the playoff finals. Against all odds, Lampard managed to prove everyone wrong during his managerial stint at Chelsea.
Chelsea scored 66 points to secure fourth spot and a place in the Champions League next season while the club has also reached the FA Cup final.
Moreover, Lampard has also managed to produce some excellent football despite integrating several young players into the Chelsea first team. In his first season at the club, Lampard has displayed tactically maturity.
On that note, here are Chelsea's top five performances in the EPL this season under Frank Lampard.
Chelsea's top five EPL performances under Frank Lampard:
#1: Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
With N'Golo Kante and Christian Pulisic out, Frank Lampard employed three men at the back instead of a more conventional back-four in Chelsea's London derby with Tottenham Hotspur who were without Harry Kane and Son Heung-min. It was also the first time Jose Mourinho returned to Stamford Bridge as a Tottenham manager.
Chelsea were'nt in good form as they had lost against both Newcastle United and Manchester United while they also dropped points against both Leicester City and Arsenal. A defeat to Tottenham would have dealt Chelsea's top-four prospects a huge blow.
However, Frank Lampard's side responded well. Chelsea's 3-4-3 formation worked efficiently, with Giroud as a target man and Ross Barkley and Mason Mount running in behind.
The Frenchman scored Chelsea's first goal while Marcos Alonso added the second one. Tottenham were able to get a consolation goal courtesy an own goal from Antonio Rudiger.
Chelsea often drifted to the right-hand side to create an overload and then switch the ball to Alonso, a tactic which yielded their second goal. Both Jorginho and Matteo Kovacic were marked tightly, but Mount or Barkley would drop deep to create an extra man in midfield.
Mourinho's Tottenham man-marked Chelsea but the Blues forced the visitors to change formation without possession, and they worked well to beat the man-to-man press and create spaces.
#4: Tottenham Hotspur 0-2 Chelsea
Chelsea faced Tottenham away from home, having won one Premier League game and losing three.
But the Blues once again belied their indifferent form and produced a brilliant performance to win 2-0. The victory made Chelsea the first team in the Premier League to defeat a team at three different home grounds.
A double from Willian sealed the win for the Blues. Once again, Chelsea's three-man defence did its job. Tottenham only managed to have just one shot on target, while Chelsea showed their calmness and composure in that game.
The Blues effectively pressed Tottenham's backline, often forcing them to go long where Harry Kane faced three centre backs.
Even without the ball, Chelsea often held a compact shape and were very difficult to break down. When Tottenham pressed, Mount would drop deep or run in behind. Chelsea were of course handed a numerical advantage when Son Heung Min was sent off for a challenge on Antonio Rudiger.
#3: Chelsea 4-0 Everton
Frank Lampard was again visited by a former boss, and this time it was Everton's Carlo Ancelotti with whom he had won Chelsea's famous double in 2009/10.
Chelsea were literally a class apart in their home game against Everton as they looked like a team that could challenge for the Premier League title.
The Blues dominated their visitors by playing great football and scored amazing goals. On the day, Chelsea were completely on top of their game and showed what they were capable of.
Frank Lampard handed Premier League debuts to Tino Anjorin, Armando Broja and Billy Gilmour. The latter was particularly outstanding as he controlled the Chelsea midfield. Mason Mount, Pedro, Willian and Giroud were on target for the Blues who scored four unanswered goals past Everton.
Chelsea played a three-man midfield compared to Everton's two. That allowed Billy Gilmour more time and space as Barkley and Mount constantly made runs from midfield to cause problems to the visitors.
Pedro and Willian tugged in narrow and did not allow Gylfi Sigurdsson and co any space, while Oliver Giroud also won his individual battles against the Everton defence.
#2: Arsenal 1-2 Chelsea
After losing to Southampton 2-0 at home, Chelsea travelled to Arsenal who were looking like a new team after the appointment of Mikel Arteta who took over from Unai Emery.
Arsenal were very compact at the Emirates Stadium and made it difficult for Chelsea to control the ball in midfield. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang gave Arsenal the lead through a corner as Chelsea struggled to make an impact in the game despite having more ball possession.
Lampard was quick to ring in the changes, changing Chelsea's formation midway through the first half and bringing in Emerson for Jorginho. He also handed a debut to 18-year-old Tariq Lamptey. and both substitutions made the desired impact for Chelsea.
Jorginho scored the equaliser after an error from Leno while Tammy Abraham scored the winner as Chelsea successfully overturned a first-half deficit to return with all three points.
#1: Chelsea 2-1 Manchester City
A tough game was in store as champions Manchester City visited Chelsea after the Premier League restarted after a suspension owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
City arrived at Stamford Bridge on the back of big wins over Arsenal and Burnley, but it was Chelsea who took the game to the opposition.
Lampard exhibited tactical maturity as Chelsea played compactly and did not allow City any space. The plan was hit to the visitors on the counter, and they were very successful in this approach as Christian Pulisic played a key role.
Chelsea were far more creative than City and created the better chances. The only goal City were able to score was courtesy a stunning Kevin De Bryune freekick.
Bernado Silva was deployed as a false nine and marked Kante, with Mount marking David Silva. That meant that Silva had to deal with two Chelsea players. If De Bryune had decided to follow Mount, it would have opened up huge spaces for Pulisic.
Lampard instructed his fullbacks to stay tight on City's wingers Riyad Mahrez and Sterling who were able to create space for City's defenders and fullbacks but scoring opportunities for the visitors were at a premium.
