RED HURT CHILE
Lamps once suffered against a team Bielsa built.. but never again
FRANK LAMPARD admits Marcelo Bielsa helped wreck his landmark England appearance and doesn’t want him to ruin his Derby home debut as well.
Former England midfielder Lampard is preparing for his first competitive match in charge at Pride Park when Leeds visit this evening, after he and new Elland Road manager Bielsa both got off to winning starts.
The Derby boss recalls captaining England in the friendly against Chile in November 2013, when he received a special presentation to mark his 100th cap. But Alexis Sanchez scored twice in a dominant 2-0 victory for the team that Bielsa built.
Although the Argentine had moved on, Lamps felt it was Bielsa’s legacy that helped secure the win for the visitors.
Lampard, 40, who won 106 caps, said: “It was his team against Chile and we hardly touched the ball at Wembley. If that was his team, then he set up a pretty good team.
“It was the day I got my 100th cap and receiving the cap was definitely the best part of the day. I was chasing around after Sanchez and he had a very particular way of playing. It was very evident on the pitch, and we found it difficult to deal with.
“Bielsa has brought that to all his teams with forward-thinking, strong ideas. He is at the top of the tree, he is a leader not a follower.
“Now can I put out a team which gets the better of his?
“I can’t wait for my first home game. Leeds are one of our main rivals not just in terms of the league but history.
“I feel the atmosphere at home is going to be fantastic, and hopefully the players can live up to that with their performance.”
Derby have nine new signings, including £5million striker Martyn Waghorn from Ipswich who is pushing for a debut. Lampard, who enjoyed an opening-day win at Reading, said: “We are looking to improve on that display.”