Frank Lampard doesn’t have a whole lot of agency this time around as Chelsea head coach.
His caretaker manager stint will be ending after less than two months, regardless of the results he achieves. That was always going to be case after a rough stint in charge of Everton followed his sacking as Chelsea’s permanent manager two years ago.
Lampard wouldn’t be able to protest much if, say, his club’s owner called his team’s season “embarrassing” in the dressing room after yet another loss. He’d probably just be out the door ever faster than already planned.
And so, Lampard was in front of the media on Monday defending Todd Boehly’s widely reported pep talk to Chelsea after Saturday’s 3-1 home defeat to Brighton.
Asked if he had a problem with Chelsea’s owners addressing the team in the locker room, Lampard said: “I am comfortable with that. There was maybe some criticism of our old owner (Roman Abramovich) and not coming to the game, which wasn’t always true, to be fair. But I think when an owner is very invested in their interest in the team and want to help and improve, it is their prerogative to have the input that they want.”
Boehly was joined by fellow board members Behdad Eghbali and Hansjörg Wyss after a defeat that took Chelsea down to 11th in the Premier League table.
Lampard, Chelsea’s third coach of the season, has started his brief stint with three straight losses.
One of those defeats was a 2-0 reverse at Real Madrid in last week’s Champions League quarterfinal first leg. Facing a daunting second-leg task at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, Lampard hit back at suggestions that Chelsea is “broken” at the current moment.
“We are not where we want to be. That’s clear,” said Lampard. “But I think the word broken is a bit much. The league position is a reality, and we are 2-0 down in this game. We have to work against that.”
[lawrence-related id=17266,16942,16674]