Frank Lampard failed to secure a single home victory during his second spell as Chelsea manager, with his last win at Stamford Bridge taking place in December 2020. The team’s poor performance continued with a 1-1 draw against Newcastle in Lampard’s final game. Although Kieran Trippier’s own goal cancelled out Anthony Gordon’s early strike, Chelsea‘s young trio of Noni Madueke, Lewis Hall and substitute Carey Chukwuemeka performed well in the second half, playing with an attacking initiative that had been absent in past matches. However, Lampard acknowledged that the team’s standards had collectively dropped and a new manager would be needed to help slim down and galvanise the first-team group. Under Lampard’s tenure, the squad struggled to show leadership and cohesion, with a bloated roster of 34 first-team players contributing to Chelsea‘s first-ever bottom-half finish since 1996 and record low tallies of points and goals scored in the Premier League. Lampard also noted that physical competitiveness was lacking and that the squad had been too large, with players feeling disillusioned and disengaged. Although Lampard has now been replaced by Thomas Tuchel, it remains to be seen whether the team can rebuild and return to its former glory.
Frank Lampard’s damning Chelsea assessment after Newcastle United draw
