FRANK HAS BLUEPRINT TO THRIVE
Beaten.. but Chelsea boss sees hope f or future
AS a player Frank Lampard was in the heavyweight division reaching the peaks with his unique skill set.
And given another year or so in the Chelsea hot- seat you wouldn’t bet against him joining the likes of Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp as a manager from the very top drawer.
For in the space of just a few short months it’s clear Lampard is capable of developing a body of work in management that could be as impressive as the days when he pulled on his boots.
It’s not often Guardiola is tactically out-witted. Neither is it usual to see Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva watching while the opposition pass the ball around them.
Nor do many teams arrive at the Etihad with a plan of attack that’s built on more than blind hope.
But for spells last night Chelsea – who staggeringly beat City for possession – were a team posing problems galore for Guardiola and his champions.
Experience
In the end City’s quality in attack and a huge slice of luck to gain the vital first-half equaliser by De Bruyne proved decisive for Guardiola’s men in their quest to keep Liverpool in their sights.
City’s experience, investment and leadership put them some distance ahead of Chelsea and Lampard right now.
Yet there’s no denying Lampard looks the right man to perhaps break up the Guardiola/klopp monopoly.
The return of Jose Mourinho might give Tottenham hope that their man can go toe-to-toe with the Premier League’s Big Two.
But Chelsea’s power brokers should be quietly confident that given the same time in the job as Guardiola and Klopp, Lampard could be an English answer to the overseas managerial domination of the Premier League.
Chelsea might not have won but their contribution to a cracking contest was clear and obvious.
And Guardiola looked as edgy and skittish as he’s done for a while as Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic formed a midfield axis that gave Chelsea the upper-hand against City’s well-oiled machine.
Circus