Premier League 2019/20: 8 Big Takeaways From Gameweek One

8. Is The Chelsea Task Too Big For Frank Lampard?

One of the biggest questions heading into the new Premier League season surrounded the latest man in the Chelsea hot seat, Frank Lampard. Over the summer, since Maurizio Sarri’s departure, the Blues made the Derby County manager their number one target. It is a massive step, to say the least, from Derby to Chelsea, particularly for someone with so little experience in the dugout.

This is not helped by the club’s transfer embargo, meaning the new boss has not been able to add any new names before the opening game against Man United, with the exception of Mateo Kovacic, whose transfer was agreed before the ban. Limited to a young, and somewhat inexperienced team in some areas, Lampard is able to lean on Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori, who he worked with at Derby, but this looks like it may not be enough.

The Blues faced stiff competition to make the top four last season, and losing Eden Hazard while the teams around them arguably got better puts a lot more pressure on the manager. After just one game, Chelsea have fallen behind, recording an embarrassing 4-0 defeat to United. With City, Liverpool, United, Tottenham, and Arsenal all picking up wins, the Blues need to find their form very soon, particularly with a boss as fond of sacking managers as Roman Abramovich. Does Lampard have what it takes to pick his players up before falling even further behind the pack?