Tuchel Says He Questioned Chelsea About Sacking Lampard Before Taking Over

Tuchel also said that Lampard's great achievements as a player with Chelsea and a manager made him question whether sacking the former Derby County manager was the right decision for the club.

Thomas Tuchel, speaking to newsmen ahead of Chelsea’s visit to Arsenal on Sunday, live from 4 pm, revealed that he questioned the decision to sack Frank Lampard before taking the job and admits that last season’s Champions League success “raised the bar.”

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Lampard, who won 11 major trophies as a player at Chelsea, was fired in January after 18 months in charge and was replaced by Tuchel, who had recently left PSG.

Notwithstanding his team’s poor form before he departed, Lampard led Chelsea to the Champions League knockout stages twice, as well as a top-four Premier League finish and an FA Cup final during his tenure.

Tuchel also said that Lampard’s great achievements as a player with Chelsea and a manager made him question whether sacking the former Derby County manager was the right decision for the club.

“I actually said to the board, ‘are you sure of doing this? Because they will not like you. Maybe he deserves more time.’ Because when I think of Chelsea I think about Frank Lampard, John Terry, Petr Cech, Didier Drogba.

“I think about him in the very first moment because he embodies everything that Chelsea is: hard work, aggressive player, a big leader but at the same time a normal guy on the pitch, and such a team player. A true, true legend.

Tuchel Says He Questioned Chelsea About Sacking Lampard Before Taking Over - SportRazzi
Former Chelsea boss Frank Lampard

“But I clearly understood the choice was more or less made and it was, take it or leave it. Then I hoped for a fair chance with the players because when you step in, there is not everybody happy from 20, 22 players,” he said.

He continued, You cannot expect everybody to be happy with the manager gone, especially because he had a good [Champions League] group stage, good results, good performances and sometimes he was also simply unlucky, with what the data showed to us.

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“But I said very early, ‘listen, guys, I did not push him out. I am just here now to continue in my way and let’s try to be open and give us a chance together.’

“I’m in a top club with fantastic support, super organized, and strong group on the field. It’s a pleasure to work every day and it’s like this since day one.”

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