Frank Lampard didn’t hold back in warning Mauricio Pochettino of the challenges he’ll face at Chelsea.
The Argentine boss was announced as the club’s new manager as they finally appoint a permanent successor to Graham Potter.
Lampard has been in caretaker charge of the Blues in recent months but has struggled to correct the poor form that saw the west London side finish the Premier League season in 12th place.
Pochettino is certainly a high-end appointment having managed at Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain, but according to Lampard, he’s set to have his work cut out at Stamford Bridge.
“I’m a big fan of Pochettino as a manager, I think he’s a very good manager, but it’s not about which individual it might be, it’s about getting the right high level of manager,” Lampard said after the final day of the Premier League season.
“Pochettino’s history tells you he works at clubs of this sort of level and then letting him get to work with the players he creates a solid identity in a team that can win more games. Those things aren’t always overnight things, so we have to be careful with expectations a little bit.
“There’s a lot of work to be done. That’s my synopsis after six weeks, the basics that I keep talking about – standards are so relevant to this club at the minute. Standards collectively have dropped – I can be honest about that as it’s my last game and I might not see some of them that much anyway!
“Standards as a collective for a club like Chelsea have to be at the maximum or you won’t be physically competitive enough, or you won’t be able to play at a high level, high speed the Premier League demands.
“If you’re not together in the dressing room and vocal in the dressing room, and driving each other and competitive because ‘I want your place and you want mine’… Every top team has to have that.
“When I came in, very quickly I could see that wasn’t there enough. Of course a very good manager can help that but everyone has to take responsibility.”
Source: Talk Sport
