Frank Lampard made his return to Chelsea on Thursday as the club's caretaker manager to take the reins from Bruno Saltor, who took to the dugout following Graham Potter's departure from the club. There was a great deal of familiarity for the Chelsea coach who spent 13 years playing for the club and 18 months in charge
The Blues boss quickly reacquainted himself with the media at Cobham, while there was a buzz present across the training ground ahead of Chelsea's announcement. Lampard suggested his knowledge of the club, the players and its facilities would help him in his role until the end of the season.
While such resources will undoubtedly prove helpful, and Lampard's relationship with players such as Mason Mount could prove key to finding success at Stamford Bridge, it may not all be so simple. The Blues boss was relieved of his duties with the west London side struggling in January 2021, and there is no guarantee every player will be enthusiastic for his return.
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Mateo Kovacic is pleased to see Lampard's return, but with Chelsea in 11th in the Premier League, the Croatian is not yet getting carried away with just a limited time under the caretaker manager. Kovacic detailed the squad's first interaction with Lampard.
He told Sky Sports: "We know him, he was our coach so it’s good news that he is back and trying to change our season because it has not been good. We had a short meeting. He explained to us what he wants and what his desire is for the end of the season so we now have the opportunity to go and climb the table in the league as much as we can.
"We have two beautiful games with Real Madrid so there is a possibility and if there is a possibility to finish the season good then we should take it.
"He came very calm with a clear idea of what he expects from us but it’s still only one day, so we will see in the next days what he will ask us to do on the pitch and how we’ll prepare. It’s now difficult to tell how it’s going to be but he is back and we want to do the best for the club."
Kovacic was also quick to front up for the squad's role in the dismissal of Potter and placed the emphasis on the players needing to improve to salvage something from the season. The 28-year-old noted the brutal situation coaches face.
Kovacic added: "We have to say thank you to Potter who was here who did a good job but it’s not easy when there are many changes here so it was a tough situation for him as well.
"We need to be honest with ourselves. In the end it’s easier to sack a coach than 30 players, but it’s on us as well, we need to do better."
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