Frank Lampard has opened up on the pain of his sacking as Chelsea coach, four months after he was replaced by Thomas Tuchel.
Former Chelsea midfielder Lampard, who was voted into the Premier League Hall of Fame on Wednesday, struggled to impress in the Stamford Bridge dugout as much as he had on the pitch for the Blues.
After returning to the club as coach, following a season with Championship side Derby County that marked his first managerial job, Lampard lasted a season-and-a-half before he was dismissed this January.
“I have to say that when you lose your job it’s hard,” Lampard told The Telegraph. “Anyone who says anything differently is a liar. It’s not the truth.
“There’s an element of pride, you’re working towards something one day and then it’s taken away from you. That’s life. You have to be a realist about it.”
“Very quickly the dust has to settle and one of the biggest things for me – living in Chelsea, a mile from the ground – is that I walk around and see Chelsea fans all of the time.
“You do wonder what the reaction will be because you’ve lost your job – will they be happy with what you did or not? And I think it made me realise even more, the bond I had with them from my playing days but also what they saw, what I was working towards in season one [as coach], up until the point where I left in season two.
“I was working with a real vision because I care about the club. I wouldn’t have gone into the job without a full understanding that at some stage I might leave in whatever circumstances.
“I didn’t go into it with just a full heart, wanting to go back to Chelsea after a year managing at Derby. I went into it with a full head and realising what an opportunity it was. Would it last forever? History tells you probably not.”
Tuchel, who was sacked by Paris Saint-Germain in December, took over from Lampard and has led Chelsea to the Champions League final and also this month’s FA Cup final, which the Blues lost 1-0 to Leicester last weekend.
“I’ve come to terms with the fact that my managerial career just carries on, and the beautiful thing is that I have come away from the club that I love, played at for so long and I’ve still got some really strong connections and I love that side of it,” Lampard said.
“It’s been a nice couple of months just to take in being with a [new-born] baby, not working and completely throwing yourself into that. And I’ve enjoyed that side and that’s been a big plus.
“The shock has been how often I’ve been called upon to do the house chores. Dishwasher, the rubbish – I’m the rubbish man, taking it out every Monday and Thursday.”
