Lampard is ‘worried’ but how bad has Chelsea performed?

As reports grow that Frank Lampard may be fired from his post as Chelsea manager, there are growing calls for patience from many ends of Premier League punditry.

Is that fair? Foul? A combination of memories of Lampard on the playing field and distrust of Roman Abramovich’s reputation for quick change?

[ MORE: Lampard ‘worried,’ rips players after latest Chelsea dud ]

There’s no doubt that Chelsea is struggling at the moment, sitting eighth on the Premier League table after following up a nine-match unbeaten run with five losses in eight.

Chelsea has thrice finished outside the top four in the last 10 seasons, sinking as far as 10th and missing out on European football altogether in 2015-16.

Even that nadir, however, came between two Premier League titles.

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Lampard took over for Maurizio Sarri last season and kept Chelsea back in the top four despite a transfer ban.

That happened while playing a number of young talents including several England national team hopefuls, earning him plenty of plaudits in the UK.

But how have Lampard’s teams performed compared to the men he replaced: Antonio Conte and Sarri?

We have the benefit in comparison of all three men not arriving mid-season, though Lampard was hamstrung by the 2019 summer transfer ban.

Tuesday’s loss to Chelsea is the midpoint of their Premier League season. Let’s take a look at where they stand compared to recent bosses and even Lampard’s first season.

Points-per-game and table position

2016-17 (Conte): 2.44, 1st

2017-18 (Conte): 1.84, 5th

2018-19 (Sarri): 1.89, 3rd

2019-20 (Lampard): 1.73, 4th

2020-21 (Lampard, 19 matches): 1.52, 8th

Obviously the results haven’t been there and while it’s fair to talk about players like Timo Werner and Kai Havertz adjusting to a new league, to have them being this far off the pace production-wise is a major issue. Werner can argue confidence and luck, but Havertz looks lost. The manager matters there, though Lampard didn’t have to do much adjusting as a player at a young age having played in London until he was deep into his 30s aside from a loan to Swansea City in Wales.

Goals-per-game and goals conceded-per-game

2016-17 (Conte): 2.24 – 0.86

2017-18 (Conte): 1.63 – 1.00

2018-19 (Sarri): 1.65 – 1.02

2019-20 (Lampard): 1.81 – 1.42

2020-21 (Lampard, 19 matches): 1.73 – 1.21

The defending is getting better at a slight expense of goals, though it should be noted that these numbers have taken a beating recently. Chelsea’s allowed nine of their 23 goals in the last five league games, scoring four.

Open play goal and shot differential

2016-17 (Conte): 61-24 goals, 421-224 shots

2017-18 (Conte): 48-30 goals, 454-289 shots

2018-19 (Sarri): 47-24 goals, 481-245 shots

2019-20 (Lampard): 51-37 goals, 459-209 shots

2020-21 (Lampard, 19 matches): 21-15 goals; 184-136 shots

This is one of two statistics that really worry me. Double the 2020-21 figures and you’ve got the worst goal and shot production from open play in the half-decade (and perhaps beyond).

Possession % and league rank

2016-17 (Conte): 54%, 6th

2017-18 (Conte): 54.4%, 4th

2018-19 (Sarri): 59.9%, 2nd

2019-20 (Lampard): 57.9%, 3rd

2020-21 (Lampard, 19 matches): 57.5%, 4th

Nothing wrong with any of this.

Passing % and league rank

2016-17 (Conte): 83.9%, 3rd

2017-18 (Conte): 83.9%, 3rd

2018-19 (Sarri): 87.6%, 2nd

2019-20 (Lampard): 85.2%, 2nd

2020-21 (Lampard, 19 matches): 86.3%, 2nd

Same here.

Record versus traditional “Big Six”

2016-17 (Conte): 5W-1D-4L

2017-18 (Conte): 3W-3D-4L

2018-19 (Sarri): 3W-3D-4L

2019-20 (Lampard): 4W-1D-5L

2020-21 (Lampard, 19 matches): 0W-2D-3L

Here’s the other one that bothers me. Want to see where Chelsea will finish? See how many points they can take off Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea, and Manchester United. So far this season it’s been pitiful. Turning one of those losses into a win and Chelsea sits sixth. Add a draw going to a win or a loss going to a draw and you’re right in the top four picture.

Wanna toss in the Blues’ record against non-traditional powers who currently sit above Chelsea on the table? The Blues waxed West Ham, but lost to Everton and Leicester City. They also drew Southampton 3-3 and are above Saints on goal differential but below on points-per-game.

So, yeah, the Blues are making their money against the current bottom half of the table, boasting a 7-1-1 record versus teams 10th and lower. And the draw is against a Villa side three points behind them with four matches-in-hand.

And we guess that’s reason enough to give Lampard the rest of the season, depending on who is willing to take the gig. But Chelsea’s poor work in open play and against big name clubs should sound a lot of alarms.

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Lampard is ‘worried’ but how bad has Chelsea performed? originally appeared on NBCSports.com