Blues boss says his past gives him no insulation from the pressure of working at Stamford Bridge
Frank Lampard doesn’t think his status as a legendary Chelsea player will give him more time than any other Blues manager.
Recent poor form has seen Chelsea claim just one victory in their last six games, leading to claims that the West London club may be looking to make a change in leadership mid-season.
Taking the job in the summer of 2019, Lampard admitted he risked his reputation at the club after a playing career that widely considered him one of Chelsea’s greatest of all time.
Lampard knows his owner Roman Abramovich could decide to sack him at any time, after seeing him ruthlessly dismiss managers when he was a club player for 13 years.
“All I want to focus on is the job in hand, I can’t control everything and I certainly don’t want to rely on what has happened in the past,” Lampard said to find out. ‘he would have more time than the other coaches before him. .
“What I see right now in terms of the club’s position, a month ago everything was rosy. Now everything – and very quickly – is negative. I have to look positively and the things that I cannot control apart from how I feel are a waste of time.
“I felt tremendous support from this club during the period that I came back as manager. As a player I felt huge support for 13 years and eventually I left the club because they wanted to move on.
“I understand what football is. I understand the demands and expectations. So I don’t think I deserved the right for anything to get me out of this situation. All I can do is be honest with the way I see it.
“I understand that there is work to be done here and the position in which we find ourselves. The young players had a difficult year last year and with the new players arriving this year who should produce at a young age immediately will be challenges. “
Lampard had nothing but praise for Abramovich, reiterating that the owner can remove him from his managerial position whenever he sees fit.
“That is, of course, his prerogative,” Lampard said. “I have to sit here and say that when he came to Chelsea all those years ago it made my career. Who knows where else I could have gone in my career, but luckily I was at a club that the owner joined and completely changed its face.
“It changed my life and I understand that. However, I don’t think it should give me a head start. I’m here and I think the job I did last season, finishing fourth, was a huge positive given the constraints. . After that I have to go back. “
Lampard said he saw himself a bit in some of his young players, noting it took a while for him to get comfortable at Premier League level.
“I never thought it would be a straight line, I was very aware of it before the start of the season and especially because we didn’t have time to work with the new players. I remember coming to this club a long time ago and the first year I was probably an average Premier League midfielder, ”Lampard said.
“Second year, I was better than that. Third year, again the same. And by the fourth year my levels reached levels where I could really contribute to the club. When I look at new players, I look at things like This is how I see it.
“The rest of the details are how I work with the players. But I can’t jump out of there and dictate what other people think. ”
