Frank Lampard's long-lasting success as Chelsea manager is far from the results he got on the pitch first time round. Albeit a top four finish in his only full season was positive and unexpected in the circumstances, it was the culture he helped to create that has gone on to remain.
It was Lampard who handed debuts to Mason Mount, Reece James and Billy Gilmour, three of the large Cobham cohort that won the Champions League in 2021. In what is now a famous image of the former academy group on the pitch at Porto - including Andreas Christensen, Tammy Abraham, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Tino Anjorin - Lampard put the foundations in place to see the group at first team level.
Before him there had been multiple missed chances, players effectively lost to the system. The basis of Thomas Tuchel's success came from handing Mount and James a place to thrive on the biggest stage, without them Chelsea would be nowhere. Now they're in a state of limbo.
