When a new manager is appointed, there usually is a huge upturn in form thanks to the new ideas brought about by the manager as well as a fresh start for many players, as we saw with the appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as Manchester United manager, at least for a brief period.
That could be the case with the appointment of Frank Lampard as Chelsea manager, who was a fan-favourite during his playing days with the London club.
A good opportunity under difficult circumstances for Lampard
The former Derby County manager has a difficult task ahead of him, not only because of the gulf in quality between Chelsea – who finished third last season – and the top two of the 2018-19 season, Manchester City and Liverpool, but also the departure of their talisman, Eden Hazard, as well as the transfer ban imposed on the London club.
At the same time, Chelsea and Lampard have the perfect opportunity to give their very talented academy products a chance to shine – perhaps the biggest chance for Chelsea’s youngsters in more than a decade.
Chelsea seem to have quality players in other areas of the pitch, including a strong midfield that includes N’Golo Kante, a rejuvenated Jorginho, as well as exciting young attacking midfielder Mason Mount, who had a fantastic season with Lampard at Derby County last season.
Possible issues to deal with
The Blues have a few problematic areas to deal with though, especially in attack as Lampard will need all his attackers to chip in as they don’t have top-class striker who can score 20 goals a season, which the rest of the top 6 teams have.
Lampard will have to depend on the experienced Olivier Giroud – who hasn’t been prolific in the last few seasons, and young striker Tammy Abraham, who scored 26 goals for Aston Villa in the Championship, but hasn’t been properly tested in the Premier League.
This will probably be Lampard’s Achilles heel and could probably decide where the Blues will finish in the season. If new signing Christian Pulisic can score 10+ goals in the season, and the Chelsea midfield contributes a few, they could certainly target a top 3 position.
However, it is unlikely that they will usurp Manchester City or Liverpool for the top two spots in the Premier League as both sides are considerably stronger than the London club at the moment.
They could compete with the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham, and Manchester City for third and fourth spots in the league, but that is only if they can score consistently, and find someone who can score the goals and assists that Hazard so often mustered over the last few seasons.
