Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard need no introduction. Among the top 3 English midfielders of all time and definitely one of the greats of the modern game. Both of them were excellent players and great goal scorers. Frank Lampard was known for his goalscoring prowess. You would not expect a midfielder to be the highest goalscorer of a particular club unless he is special. Steven Gerrard is considered among the greatest to have worn the Merseyside red. It’s been quite a while since their retirement and players all throughout the world still want to be the “Next Lampard” or the “Next Gerrard”.
What many don’t know is that Lampard and Gerrard’s current exploits are not on the football pitch but on the sidelines. Lampard’s Derby County currently sit in seventh spot in the Championship standings- 3 points off the top spot, while Gerrard has Rangers fourth in the Scottish Premiership. Both the teams have scored quite a few goals and from the way they play, it’s evident that both the managers prefer attacking football. “Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard have moved into management and I think it is brilliant for those two.
It is the right time for young English managers to step forward.” Wayne Rooney was quoted as saying by beIN Sports. Wayne Rooney who has played alongside both Lampard and Gerrard for England seemed happy and welcomed this move. Not only Rooney, fans of both Chelsea and Liverpool are delighted.
Some fans even claimed that it would be their dream to see their club managed by them one day. Young players are generally attracted to managers who have been top-flight professional footballers solely because of the reason that they can learn a lot from them.
Take for example Zinedine Zidane. During his tenure as Real Madrid manager, players like Dani Ceballos and Vinicius Jr joined the club. Frank Lampard has brought “The next big thing” Mason Mount from Chelsea on loan and it’s expected that the player will develop a lot and play for Chelsea soon. Steven Gerrard has used his connections with Liverpool well and signed young sensations Ovie Ejaria and Ryan Kent from Liverpool on a season long loan. Another reason why appointing an ex player as manager is a good idea is because these players known the club’s structure from the inside out. While success is relative and means different things for clubs on different levels- what many fans and the board expect from managers is the development of academy players. Every fan wants to see a young academy player start regularly for their club and perform.
Ex players of a club know just how important development of young players is and if appointed manager, it is expected that they would do what’s needed for the young players at the club. Lampard and Gerrard must not hurry. Being a player is very different from being a manager. Things can go wrong and when they do, it’s very difficult for even the best managers in the world. So the pair must take their time before saying yes to the managerial post of a big club. So it might not be long before a Liverpool vs Chelsea game would see Lampard and Gerrard go head to head not on the pitch, but on the sidelines- shouting out instructions to players and going for a win.
