Frank Lampard has admitted that he has been unable to develop the young players at Chelsea. The 44-year-old was named caretaker manager last month to steady the ship while Todd Boehly continued the club's search for a permanent head coach.
While many were infatuated by Lampard's appointment, his return hasn't quite had the desired effect. Graham Potter won three of his final five games in charge of the Blues, drawing once and losing the other.
Then, Bruno Saltor stepped up and managed to orchestrate a goalless draw against Liverpool. Lampard was then brought in and the west Londoners have now lost each of their previous five games, with defeats against Wolves, Real Madrid, Brighton and Brentford.
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Unlike his previous stint in the dugout, Lampard has been tasked with prioritising short-term results over developing the wealth of young talent at his disposal. Ahead of Chelsea's clash against Arsenal, the Blues boss explained what difficulties he's faced as an interim head coach.
"Every game is an opportunity for young players that have come here, and we also shouldn’t expect too much of players that have just got here," Lampard said. "Maybe that is part of the story this year of young players coming in and, because of the performance of the team, being expected to make a difference.
"In an ideal world, a club the level of Chelsea, you want to bring in those players with stability and performances and results where they can find their time, look at other players playing in front of them and realise what the standards are to get into the team.
"It’s clear it’s a very difficult moment for (all the players). Wherever you want to lay the responsibility for that, it doesn’t really matter to me in the short period. Some things are quite good about being interim: this is what it is, I can try and do as well as I can in this period.
"Other things you kind of go: ‘ok, of course this is longer term’. To develop a player in five weeks, from one thing to the finished article, is not going to happen. You also need the player to be of a level where they are going to produce."
Unlike Lampard, Mauricio Pochettino will have more time to build a long-term project around Chelsea's young stars. On The Overlap, the former Manchester United defender even branded the Argentinian the 'perfect' next Blues manager.
"I think he [Pochettino] is a really talented coach. I think Chelsea next year could really surprise us. Pochettino will bring the club together because he will; he’s likeable, and the players will respect him enormously.
"I think he’ll do a very, very good job next season. He’ll cover a lot of the stuff that’s going on behind the scenes is my prediction. Those players are perfect for Pochettino; they are talented and young, but they just need direction."
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