Arsenal have showed Chelsea that patience is required with young managers

Chelsea made the decision to move on from manager Frank Lampard after a poor stretch of form in the Premier League that saw the club lose five out of eight matches over the Christmas and New Year Period.

The Blues were in contention for the top-flight crown in the early stages of the campaign, keeping pace with then front-runners Liverpool and Tottenham. However, they’ve all since been surpassed by Manchester City, who appear to be rounding into championship-winning form under Pep Guardiola.

Lampard paid the price for his team’s struggles and was sacked by Roman Abramovich, becoming the 11th manager to be sacked by the Russian. It was the first poor spell of his managerial career at Stamford Bridge, but the former Chelsea midfielder knows more than most that failure is not tolerated by the club’s hierarchy.

The Blues spent £200m in the transfer window over the summer, which included signing Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech and Ben Chilwell along with a move for free agent Thiago Silva. Despite the outlay, Lampard’s team failed to fire in the final third. The 42-year-old failed to utilise Werner and Havertz efficiently, with the two Germans combining for only a combined five goals in the Premier League.

At the other end of the pitch, defensive issues from the previous campaign persisted, conceding cheap goals on a regular basis. Thiago Silva helped matters to a degree, but Lampard was unable to find a consistent partner for the Brazilian, running through Kurt Zouma, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen in an attempt to find a solution.

Abramovich undoubtedly was not seeing a good return on his significant investment and acted ruthlessly as he has done so in the past – whether that will be to the benefit of the team remains to be seen. The example of another Premier League club that was in a worse position than Chelsea with a fledgling manager before Christmas has shown perhaps it’s not the way forward. Indeed, since their meeting on Boxing Day the fortunes of the two teams could not have been more different.

Mikel Arteta was under huge pressure in the Arsenal dugout, having claimed only 14 points from the opening 14 matches. A hammering at the hands of Manchester City in the EFL Cup quarter-finals increased the strain on the Spaniard. However, the Gunners overcame Chelsea with a 3-1 victory at the Emirates Stadium, which sparked a revival in their form as seen in the football results between December 26th and the end of January. After 20 matches, Chelsea and Arsenal sat level on 30 points apiece in the middle of the Premier League table.

Arsenal’s hierarchy backed Arteta to the hilt, despite criticism for all quarters. They’ve been rewarded for their confidence in the 38-year-old, proving that sacking a manager, particularly one still learning his trade at the top level, is not always the best idea. Arteta still has plenty of work ahead of him, but he has found a system that appears to rounding into shape. He has emerging stars in the form of Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka, while his veterans Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are beginning to flourish once again. Arsenal could well enjoy a strong second half to the season that could see them push for a place in Europe and perhaps even the Champions League given the tight nature of the league.

The Blues on the other hand are back to square one with a new manager in Thomas Tuchel. The German has been sacked by Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain in his previous two managerial posts. He has to hit the ground running otherwise the ire of Abramovich may fall on him like it has so many others at Stamford Bridge. It begs the question, why didn’t the club just keep faith with Lampard?

Arsenal have showed Chelsea that patience is required with young managers

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