Chelsea are in a dire run of form since beating Leeds 3-1 in mid-December and that has seen Frank Lampard’s position as manager heavily scrutinised in recent weeks.
A run of five defeats in eight games has seen the Blues fall 11 points off the top spot occupied by Manchester United. West Ham’s 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion in midweek took them above Lampard’s side in the standings.
After exceeding expectations in his first campaign to finish fourth in the Premier League, the manager was handed a £220million transfer warchest in the summer to build on that top four spot and go for the title this season.
But after a bright start to the season it’s all gone a bit pear-shaped since that win against Leeds and now Lampard is nervously looking over his shoulder with Roman Abramovich’s notoriously trigger-happy self looming in his mirrors.
In his fledgling managerial career, Lampard is experiencing a severe dip in form of his players for the first time but the former Chelsea midfielder is backing himself to rise from the doldrums.
“I’m a fighter first and foremost. It’s how I managed to make a career out of the game as a player,” a defiant Lampard said ahead of Chelsea’s FA Cup fourth round tie with Luton Town on this weekend.
“When I packed up I could have easily stayed in the media or come out of football altogether.
“I didn’t need to get back in. I got back in with a desire to be successful. I didn’t have blinkers on. I knew that there will be tough times and things that you can’t control like you did as a player.
“I love the job and I love the fact that if there are tough times and you can fight your way out of them and I mean the players as well, because we are not firing, it’s the best feeling in football. The best feeling you can possibly have.
“It would make this talented squad. We’re young in parts, look at title winning groups and the average age of the players they rely on, we are fighting on different levels to that.
“But at the same time fight is an important word in football so there’s no doubt now we have to put some things to one side now. It’s not going to be 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 that will win us the games we need to win in the short term, it’ll be the passion and the desire and the togetherness of the team."
