Former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has reflected on the challenges he faced finding perfect roles for players during his time at the club.
Lampard first took charge of Chelsea in the summer of 2019 and achieved a commendable top-four finish in his first season despite the departure of the club’s star player Eden Hazard and a transfer embargo.
However, he was dismissed just eight months into his second season following a period of poor results.
Lampard acknowledged that at the time, he received over £200 million for player signings in the summer of 2020 but faced difficulties in optimizing their performances.
He acknowledged the difficulties of integrating new signings into the squad and finding their ideal positions on the pitch.
Reflecting on his time at Chelsea, Lampard said he had so many coaching problems. “When we changed and brought players in, I had different problems – coaching problems. What’s going to get the best out of Timo Werner? Is he a no.9? We’ve still got Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud. Kai Havertz, what is his best position?
He emphasized that certain signings were driven by club recruitment policies, and although he collaborated with the club’s leadership, there were players he wanted to bring in but could not.
“If I’m honest in my situation it was a mixture. Certain players I would be very keen to bring in and we did collaborate with Marina.
“Roman Abramovich was not present but you knew he was the overseeing power. I think I quite appreciated that. I never heard from him but it was never a problem for me.
“But there were certain players who were more brought in as a club thing and you have to try and integrate them, that’s how I saw it.
Lampard also expressed his pride in the success Chelsea achieved after his departure, including winning the UEFA Champions League under Thomas Tuchel.
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