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Frank Lampard is reportedly set to be sacked by Chelsea.
According to The Telegraph's Matt Law, Chelsea players have been told not to report for training on Monday afternoon. The report also suggested that there would be a confirmation from the club by the end of the day.
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Frank Lampard was appointed as the Chelsea head coach 18 months ago, at the start of the 2019-20 season, replacing Maurizio Sarri. He has been under pressure for the last month or so after the Blues' awful run of form.
Until early December, Chelsea were near the top of the Premier League table and had gone on a 17-match unbeaten run. Lampard seemed to have found a solution to the leaky defence that the Blues had during his first season in charge.
Chelsea also won their UEFA Champions League group, finishing above Sevilla in that group. They now face Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16 of the competition next month.
Considering that run of great form, Chelsea's recent dip has been alarming. They have lost five league games out of their last eight.
The defeat to Leicester City last week could have been the last straw for the Chelsea hierarchy. The Blues are currently ninth in the Premier League, with 29 points from 19 games.
Off-field issues compound Frank Lampard's worries at Chelsea
In addition to their struggles to get results recently, the Chelsea hierarchy is also said to be concerned by the various issues off the field.
According to The Athletic, there have been soaring tensions between Frank Lampard and a number of fringe players in the squad. It was reported that the issues had been between the manager and various players outside the Englishman's regular group of trusted starters.
In addition to the off-field issues that they reportedly have, Lampard has also not managed to get the best out of Chelsea's big new summer signings. The club spent around £130 million to sign Timo Werner and Kai Havertz in the summer. However, both have not been able to hit the ground running in a Chelsea shirt and have recently found themselves outside the starting XI.
The new manager is likely to have his task cut out to make both Werner and Havertz feel at home.
Both Thomas Tuchel and Ralf Rangnick have been mooted as potential replacements for Frank Lampard.
