Frank Lampard has admitted that he saw things that ‘weren’t right’ during his second spell as interim Chelsea boss.
The Blues legend was parachuted in as caretaker boss in April 2023 following Graham’s disastrous seven-month spell as head coach.
It was Lampard’s second spell at the club after his previous 18-month stint from the summer of 2019 to January 2022, but in very different circumstances, the ex-Derby boss was greeted with a team lacking in both quality and confidence with a number of stars unsure if they’d be at the club the next season.
Reflecting on his time at the club, the now-Coventry boss admitted that he was shocked by what he saw from the Chelsea squad.
“I saw things that I know cannot be right at elite football and that’s the truth,” Lampard told Sky Sports.
“I didn’t love working in that short period because it’s hard to lay down an idea when you’re going to be leaving but Chelsea will always be a massive club in my life.
“But when I understand the standards of Chelsea – in that period of time a lot of players were in transition of maybe leaving and some problems and motivation were a problem – in an interim period you can’t really affect that.
“When you see the results of it, I’m experienced enough to know what’s right and what’s wrong and basic things in a training ground on a pitch.
“I didn’t learn anything tactical but it did reinforce my beliefs of all my experiences of when you know what a group is really fighting in the same direction – how strong that can be and when it’s not, it can be really challenging.”
Lampard’s second spell saw Chelsea finish the season in 12th position in the Premier League.
The club were 11th in the table when he took charge.
The Blues had undergone a huge period of transition having spent a mammoth £550million on new players since Todd Boehly‘s takeover in the summer of 2022.
This included 17 players signed for the first team during the 2022/23 campaign.
But following Lampard’s interim spell in charge, Chelsea endured another summer of upheaval with 14 senior players leaving the club and ten arriving at Stamford Bridge.
Upon leaving the Blues, Lampard spent 17 months out of the game before returning to management in November 2024 with Coventry City.
With the Sky Blues hovering just above the Championship relegation zone, Lampard has led Coventry firmly into play-off contention with the club sitting in fifth place with seven matches left of the regular season.
While tracking well ahead of schedule, Lampard will be desperate to return to the Premier League with the Sky Blues.
