Sir Alex Ferguson and Carlo Ancelotti both told Frank Lampard to maintain "perspective" as a manager after Chelsea sacking - now he's been given a second chance.
The Blues legend was sacked by Roman Abramovich in January 2021 but has now taken over again at Stamford Bridge on an interim basis whilst the new hierarchy look to find Graham Potter's permanent successor. Lampard was handed the Chelsea job in 2019 when he'd had only a year of experience at Derby.
He leaned on some of the game's biggest names for advice and revealed how they told him not to get too high after wins, but don't take losses too hard. Lampard previously commented on how the likes of Ferguson and Ancelotti always came across as incredibly calm and composed.
He previously told BT Sport : "I spoke with Walter Smith before he passed away after I left Chelsea. He gave me some fantastic advice, and so did Carlo Ancelotti at one point and Sir Alex Ferguson. The main gist I got was finding perspective on their job. Maybe they can say this because they’ve been through so much in their own ways, good and bad.
"As a young coach you can feel every defeat really heavily, maybe celebrate every win really heavily, and get very drawn into it and consumed by the job. I’ve always found that these managers who’ve achieved such great success have that calmness in all situations, and they passed it on in their words to me and their manner.
"You can only learn from people like that. And in the race to the top for all us young coaches, you can want to get there really quickly and that can be energy sapping if you’re not careful. The experienced coaches that I’ve been fortunate enough to be close to always give you that perspective. Whether it be more family time, whether it be how you deal with certain situations – I always find that very helpful."
Lampard has much more experience now than when he first arrived at Chelsea as boss. He led the Blues to the top four in his first year despite being unable to sign any players, whilst he also helped Everton avoid the drop last term, before being sacked several months ago.
The Blues are currently sat in 11th and will need a quality run to finish the season if they are to secure a spot in Europe for next season. Lampard will have to prepare Chelsea for a Champions League clash against European champions Real Madrid with their first-leg at the Bernabeu in less than a week.
Chelsea's hierarchy are currently undergoing their search for a permanent boss with the likes of Luis Enrique, Julian Nagelsmann and Mauricio Pochettino all on their shortlist as interviews continue to take place. Antonio Conte is also being considered as a possibility.
