Jorginho says Frank Lampard ‘wasn’t ready’ for Chelsea job
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Chelsea midfielder Jorginho has spoken candidly about former manager Frank Lampard’s time at the club, saying he doesn’t believe the club legend was ready for a job at the top level.
The Blues’ record goalscorer was handed the reins at Stamford Bridge following Maurizio Sarri’s departure in the summer of 2019, and was tasked with navigating a transfer embargo and the sale of talisman Eden Hazard to Real Madrid.
Chelsea finished fourth in the Premier League and reached the FA Cup final in Lampard’s inconsistent debut season in 2019/20, helped in no small part by their top four rivals floundering.
However, things started going awry around Christmas this term despite some heavy spending in the summer on the likes of Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Ben Chilwell. A run of five league defeats in seven games saw Lampard given his marching orders by ruthless club owner Roman Abramovich, with former Paris Saint-Germain boss Thomas Tuchel brought in to replace him.
Speaking in an interview with ESPN, Italy international Jorginho revealed he did not believe the former England international was ready for such a big job, and that he felt Lampard had ‘skipped some steps’.
“Look, I’ll be really sincere here on Lampard. I believe, given he was a legend at the club, he skipped some steps necessary for learning before moving to a big club,” Jorginho said.
“He came to a club where he is a legend, without having experience at other clubs. I think he came too soon, skipped a few steps ahead and wasn’t ready for a job at this level, to be honest.”
A very honest assessment from the midfielder, who has been playing regularly and has seemingly rediscovered his best form under Lampard’s replacement Tuchel.
His comments come at a crucial juncture for the Blues, with a huge game against top four rivals West Ham at the weekend before a Champions League semi-final first leg against Los Blancos on Tuesday.