211.8. Who do these numbers belong to? Of course, Frank Lampard. Arguably (or not) he is the best player in Chelsea FC’s history. He has always been an inexhaustible source of emotion, happiness, pride, glory, loyalty and… GOALS, GOALS AND GOALS. Lampard is an icon, not only of ‘’The Blues’’, but also of the English football in general. To break it down: 211 – the number of goals for Chelsea and 8 – the number of his shirt, make him a more unique, sensational and magnificent player, because sending the ball at the back of the net 211 times while not being a predator, a striker, makes it and even better and more enjoyable achievement.
Anyway, Frank Lampard is now leading the race as the main alternative to replace Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea, who has now been officially appointed as the new coach of Juventus. We are all aware of the fact that the hire-and-fire style has characterized Chelsea during all the Abramovich era, but now it’s a different thing. Why? Firstly, Maurizio Sarri hasn’t been sacked, but he asked to leave. And secondly, but most importantly, because the man who is expected to be appointed is the one and only, Frank Lampard. So, the main question is: Am I in favor of this move?
First of all, I would say that in life we should always be led by our brain. The strength of rationality, logic, ice-coolness in analyzing the situations are the features who make an intellectual different from a person who bases his action on instincts, sentiments, feelings and nostalgia. In this way, as you can understand, Frank isn’t my first choice. I love him more than anybody can think or wonder, he is a legend, an icon and a symbol of this club, a superbly-clever person who has impressed with his attitude and cultural capacity on and off the pitch. Anyway, when it comes to the manager discussion, the situation becomes more delicate to judge. Nonetheless, I would like to see the pros and cons of this highly-possible appointment and shortly explain each of them:
On one side, Frank’s appointment has its evident advantages. First of all, his appointment would mean that a club legend, a beloved person among the fans all around the world has come and as a result, this would refresh the atmosphere and create a unity in the fanbase, the lack of whom has been one of the biggest issues this season. In addition, knowing that a manager who coaches a club with maximal objectives and high standards like Chelsea must be intelligent and sharp to show his flexibility in particular situations, Frank surely ticks this important box. For your information, he is known to have had excellent results in 12 GCSEs, including an A in Latin. Also, his IQ is reported to be over 150, which represents an over-normal result and putting Lampard in the same basket with 0.5% of the world. Another strong point of this appointment is Lampard’s will to play youngsters, where we can mention players like: Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori from Chelsea or even Harry Wilson from Liverpool, who developed this season under the guidance of him and the former Chelsea U18 coach, Jody Morris, who in himself, represents another BIG, BIG advantage for Chelsea should he follow Frank to the Blues. Finally, although his style of play remains slightly a doubt, still Lampard has shown his will to play a high-tempo, attacking and aggressive football, characterized by counter-pressing a lot in order to get the ball back quickly.
On the other side, this expected appointment create some suspicions and skepticism, too. To begin with, will he stay loyal to the attacking football? Will he continue to play the youth, or the job pressure may make him swerve in this aspect? Will he manage to fight Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and others and make the team competitive and powerful in both domestic and European level, throwing the lack of experience argument in the rubbish bin? Also, will he manage to keep the egos of some players inside his pocket? These are some of the questions that will get their answer with the passing of the time.
I want to say that Frank Lampard has always proved to be a clever man on and off the pitch. Derby County fans rate him highly and he was on the brink of securing them the promotion to the highest level of English football. So, knowing his great personality, some decent results he had vs Premier League teams like: Manchester United and Southampton or even the convincing and courageous performance vs Chelsea, but also his efforts to make some intelligent additions like: Didier Drogba as the striker coach or Claude Makelele as a coach for the players on loan and of course the much-appreciated Jody Morris as his assistant, make me say that this appointment may prove to be such a magnificent one. I pointed out above that he isn’t my first choice but taking into consideration that a lot of other options mentioned would just bring the short-termism and the pragmatic approach again, Frank may surely be worth a try. Of course, should he be appointed, as it’s largely expected, he will have my full backing, my full support, because above all, he is one of my childhood heroes, one of the greatest players to step on a football pitch and of course, one of the best examples of professionalism, class, wisdom and hard work. COME ON SUPER FRANK!! COME ON CHELSEA!! KEEP THE BLUE FLAG FLYING HIGH!!