Why Frank Lampard should be given more time by Chelsea

According to The Athletic (subscription required), it is understood that Frank Lampard is slowly edging towards the sack at Chelsea. A chastening defeat at the hands of Manchester City in which they were thoroughly outplayed has brought up the question as to how long a rope will the former club legend be afforded. It is being reported that the club are already drawing up potential names to succeed the English man.

Lampard did well in his first season at the club

Eyebrows were surely raised when Chelsea decided to hand an inexperienced Lampard the managerial reins. Let’s not forget that Chelsea were slapped with a transfer ban last season, which barred them from signing any new players for two windows.

Despite all that, Frank Lampard brought with him a fresh brand of football along with his batch of academy players. The likes of Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori and Callum Hudson-Odoi were all instrumental through the season.

Even the likes of Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho, who seemed to have stagnated, looked hungry and sharp. A fourth-place finish and Champions League qualification were considered as a success given the situation of the club when Lampard took over.

Chelsea are in a mess of their own making

Cut to the current season and Frank Lampard’s job is at stake. So what has changed? Perhaps the fact that Chelsea went all gun blazing in the summer transfer window and splurged around £226million on new recruits. The likes of Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, Ben Chilwell, Hakim Ziyech and Edouard Mendy arrived for big money while Thiago Silva and Malang Sarr joined on free transfers.

Now the problem is that most of their new signings have failed to make the mark or even gel with the team. The German duo of Havertz and Werner have been particularly dismal despite some early signs of form. Even Hakim Ziyech is yet to replicate his Ajax form. Their defensive recruits have fared a bit better though.

While Chelsea were being considered realistic title contenders even a month ago, they would probably be looking at a top-four finish now given their current form. Four losses in their last six league games means that they have slipped to 8th place. While they have shown their might against sides in the bottom half, the same cannot be said when it came to facing teams in the top half.

Much of the heat has fallen on Lampard given the expensive personnel at his disposal. His managerial inexperience has often surfaced and he has looked bereft of any ideas to turn the situation around.

Lampard should be given time by Chelsea until the end of the season

While it seems all gloom and doom now, Chelsea still have time to turn this around. The problem is that Chelsea and their owner Roman Abrahamovic are trigger happy. They have a history of firing managers at the slightest drop in consistency and Stamford Bridge has been a revolving door of managers.

Frankly, it could well be Lampard’s association with the club that he is still on the job. Managers at the club have been fired for much better performances. Case in point being Roberto Di Matteo and Antonio Conte.

It could also be the case that Lampard is out of the job within a few weeks but that shouldn’t be the case. With what he has done last season, considering all the problems, he has bought himself some more time to try and turn the situation around. Lampard may be inexperienced but he knows how to get the best out of his players.

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All he needs is for his new recruits to start firing instead of firing blanks. He should be given at least until the end of this season to get things back to normal. Firing a manager mid-season is never a good decision and the higher-ups at the club should consider giving him some more rope.