What Chelsea manager Frank Lampard needs to do to avoid the sack

If there is one thing Chelsea are known for, it is the ruthless sacking of their managers. One disastrous run of matches is all it takes for a Chelsea manager to get the sack.

Elimination from the Champions League was enough for Roberto Di Matteo to lose his job at the club. The decision was taken even though Di Matteo had led the club to the same title for the first time in their history the previous season.

The situation is no different for current manager Frank Lampard. While he was given time last season, mostly on the back of a transfer ban, he will be held accountable this year.

The Chelsea hierarchy has gone all guns blazing in the transfer market, unlike other European teams, to land some of the most promising talents in the game. Timo Werner arrived from RB Leipzig for no less than £47.6 million and Kai Havertz was signed for a whopping £75.8 million.

It seemed like Lampard was able to get the team working perfectly; the club tied Tottenham for the top-spot no sooner than early December. However, the story since then has been one to forget.

Following the game against Manchester City, the Blues now sit eighth in the table with 26 points after 17 games. They are seven points behind league leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand.

The defeat to City has firmly pushed Chelsea to the corner. While Lampard’s 13-year service as a player still lives in the hearts of everyone associated with the club, he needs a quick turnaround to keep his job.

After four defeats from the last six games, the Blues will have to navigate an away game at Craven Cottage. Following that, they will travel to the King Power Stadium to take on Leicester City. A win against Fulham is a must to get the club back to winning ways in the league.

Lampard has to use these two fixtures to convince not just the fanbase, but also the club hierarchy. The Chelsea board are ruthless in their treatment of managers. Lampard will also have to caution himself against reusing unwarranted tactics that were exposed in previous matches.

The decision to give Ben Chilwell and Reece James starts against Arsenal, even though they just recovered from injury, cost Chelsea dearly. In the match against Aston Villa, the manager also made the mistake of starting Andreas Christensen, who had a poor game. The player featured only four times before that game and his last league appearance was against Southampton in October.

Finally, it is time that Lampard takes a call on Oliver Giroud. Regardless of his age, Giroud was one of Chelsea's saviors in last year's campaign. He contributed nine points to the team almost single-handedly. Giroud has looked sharp when he has been given game time this season. A vote of confidence for the Frenchman could potentially save Lampard from the same fate as previous Chelsea managers.