Wayne Rooney has come to the defense of former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard, labeling the intense criticism directed at his Stamford Bridge stint as completely unwarranted.
Frank Lampard’s second stint at Chelsea in 2023 was a disappointing time in the Blues’ recent history.
Returning as an interim manager following Graham Potter’s dismissal, Lampard was tasked with stabilising a bloated, low-confidence squad. However, the move failed to spark a turnaround, as he oversaw a grueling run that included eight defeats in eleven matches.
Similar to the Liam Rosenior situation, Chelsea supporters largely directed their frustrations at the ownership’s recruitment strategy rather than the club’s record goalscorer amid all the chaos.
And Lampard has since shown at Coventry City that he can make special things happen under the right circumstances having secured promotion to the Premier League.
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Wayne Rooney feels Frank Lampard was hard done by at Chelsea
Wayne Rooney has come to the defence of Frank Lampard when talking on the Overlap YouTube channel, knowing just how difficult it is to manage as a big name.
“I thought he did really well at Everton, then he went to Chelsea and he was getting a little bit of a stick about what happened at Chelsea, and um, I thought that was very unfair.”
Managerially, the paths of Lampard and Wayne Rooney finally crossed in the Championship. On Boxing Day 2024, Lampard’s Coventry City secured a commanding 4-0 victory over Rooney’s Plymouth Argyle, marking their first-ever competitive meeting in the dugout.
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Photo By Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press via Getty Images
The running theme with the Chelsea owners
A persistent theme under Chelsea’s current ownership is the tension with a running line of managers.
Both Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior faced significant hurdles due to board-level interference in recruitment and medical matters. Maresca’s exit was triggered by a breakdown in trust after his requests were ignored, salary improvement wasn’t met and medical advice was too controlling.
Then Rosenior was given an almost impossible job of picking up the pieces after the mess that has been caused by the owners at Stamford Bridge.
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