It has been weeks since Frank Lampard has been linked with the manager’s job at Chelsea. And quite rightly people associated with the club are starting to get worried with regards to what seemed an imminent appointment of the 41-year-old.
With pre-season beginning for the Chelsea first team in just a few days time, the club needs to ensure that they appoint Lampard, or whoever is going to be their next manager, as soon as possible. Failure to do so can have a detrimental effect on any bid for the Premier League title.
Implementing a style of football can be very hard, just ask Maurizio Sarri, who after one full season looked like he still hadn’t perfected ‘Sarriball‘.
Despite seemingly enjoying a successful season, Chelsea ended the season with just one win in their final five Premier League games. A run of form that only saw them finish in the top four as their London rivals Arsenal finished the season with just two wins in five games. Lampard could face the challenge of not being able to achieve his targets if he spends the beginning months of Premier League year attempting to implement his style. And as shown in previous Premier League seasons, playing catch up never ends well for teams harbouring title hopes. In recent seasons, Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City and Leicester City have all won the title with considerable leads.
However, one good thing for the incoming manager is that Chelsea are banned from this and the next transfer windows. With no signings being targeted, the new Chelsea manager can spend pre-season focusing on implementing his style of play on a squad who have already spent a season playing together rather than attempting to introduce new players.
With the managerial hot seat still vacant at Stamford Bridge, and pre-season training beginning on Wednesday, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Chelsea struggle at the beginning of next season. The next few days are crucial for Chelsea and any hope they have for challenging for the title next season, as the settling in-period under a new manager is getting shorter and shorter by the day.
