It was early on Monday that Chelsea’s first-team players received a text message informing them the planned morning training session had been pushed back until the afternoon.
The reason, which quickly emerged, was that the club had sacked head coach Frank Lampard after less than 18 months in charge at Stamford Bridge.
It was a dismissal that many expected yet one that still came as a shock. Having overseen Chelsea’s win over Luton Town on Sunday afternoon, there was no indication that Lampard would be sacked within 24 hours.
The club had made their decision on his future prior to that FA Cup game, that much was clear. In Lampard’s place will come Thomas Tuchel, whose appointment is expected to be confirmed today.
Chelsea’s first-team squad eventually arrived at Cobham early on Monday afternoon. Petr Cech, the Blues’ technical and performance advisor, spoke to the players before training got underway at around 2pm.
Lampard was not given the chance to say his goodbyes.
Pictures of that session have since been released and here are the things we spotted as preparations for Wednesday night’s Premier League game against Wolverhampton Wanderers began with Lampard.
Edwards stays on
The coach has been at Chelsea since 2004, working his way up through the academy system.
Edwards was in charge of the Under-18s for the 2014/15 and 2015/16 seasons, in which the FA Youth Cup was won twice, and later oversaw the development squad for two campaigns.
When Lampard took charge in the summer of 2019, Edwards was promoted to the first-team set-up and has worked closely with the senior players over the past 18 months. That doesn't appear to have changed with Lampard's sacking.
While his two assistants, Jody Morris and Chris Jones, have also departed, Edwards was at Cobham yesterday and oversaw the afternoon training session.
Barry also remains
Edwards wasn't alone on the Cobham training pitches yesterday for the first-team session, he was joined by Lampard's assistant head coach Anthony Barry.
The 34-year-old was brought in by Lampard in the summer having previously worked for three years at Wigan Athletic.
“He’s an exciting young coach and someone I’ve known for a while. I believe he will be a strong addition to the team," Lampard said.
Barry has a good reputation in the game and his work was credited earlier in the campaign for helping Chelsea tighten up defensively, especially at set-pieces which was an issue in Lampard's first season in charge.
Like Edwards, Barry hasn't followed Lampard out of the door at Stamford Bridge and he was helping the squad prepare to face Wolves on Wednesday evening.
It remains to be seen if Barry and Edwards will be incorporated into Tuchel's backroom team when the German arrives at Stamford Bridge.
Alonso back in the fold
Having fallen out with Lampard after a disastrous showing at West Bromwich Albion in September, Alonso was frozen out at Stamford Bridge.
He hasn't been included in a single Premier League match-day squad since and hasn't played a minute of football for the Blues in almost four months.
The Spaniard will hope things change now that Lampard has moved on. He was among the first-team group training at Cobham yesterday and will want to earn a starting role under Tuchel, who used a wing-back system at Paris Saint-Germain.
Alonso's defensive deficiencies are not as exposed with a three-man defence behind him and he can have a big impact in the final third.
He will, however, have to get ahead of Ben Chilwell in the pecking order, no easy feat given he is not as athletic as the England international.
Anjorin continues to push
Lampard's legacy as Chelsea head coach will be the clear pathway he opened between the academy and the first team.
The likes of Reece James, Billy Gilmour, Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham have benefitted most from this, becoming fixtures of the senior side. Behind them, there is a wealth of talent waiting for their chance.
Front of the queue is Anjorin. The midfielder has made four first-team appearances for the Blues, the last of which came against Morecambe in the FA Cup third round earlier this month.
The 19-year-old is ready for senior football. At 6ft 1ins, he has the frame to compete against the biggest of opponents while his flawless technique and goalscoring nous stand out in the Under-23s, a level he has outgrown in truth.
Anjorin has been training with the first team for much of this season and was with the group - in the background of the picture above - ahead of the game with Wolves.
He will hope to get a chance under Tuchel in the weeks to come.
