Back on track: How a Premier League legend saved his career

Back on track: How a Premier League legend saved his career

Frank Lampard needs no introduction. 177 Premier League goals from midfield. Four FA Cups, three Premier League titles, one Champions League. From one of English football's most illustrious playing careers, to a managerial career that looked to have faltered.

Lampard may well have reignited his career as a gaffer, with future opportunities now seeming endless, as a result of his patience and humility in a game crowded with egos. This is his journey.

Derby County: A Positive Start

Let's go back to 2018, when a newly-retired Lampard took the reins at Derby County in the Championship. Considering it was his first season in management, his stint with the Rams was very successful, guiding them to 6th in the league and just missing out on promotion to the Premier League thanks to a star-studded Aston Villa side.

His time at the club was not free of controversy - Derby were wrapped up in 'Spygate', where Marcelo Bielsa of Leeds United admitted to sending a spy to watch one of Derby's training sessions in the build-up to their second league meeting of the season.

Lampard ultimately got the last laugh, undoing a 2-0 aggregate deficit in the Playoff Semis to embarrass Leeds at Elland Road and send the Rams to the final.

'Super Frank' was picked up by his former side promptly after the defeat to Aston Villa, leaving Philip Cocu to rebuild the squad for another year in the Championship.

Chelsea Return: Still Promising

Lampard returned to Stamford Bridge on 4 July 2019 to the adoration of Chelsea fans, who vowed not to forget his magnificent services for the club as a player.

Realistically, taking the job was a massive risk considering his lack of managerial experience, where he now had to lead one of the most valuable clubs in the world who were demanding of titles. There was also the very real chance that a bad stint at the club could damage his stellar reputation among the fans - he was under massive pressure to perform.

And perform he did - sort of?

Opinions are mixed on whether or not he did well during this time in his career. Compared to the position Chelsea find themselves in now under Enzo Maresca, it wasn't as bad as some may claim.

Frank Lampard got more points in his first 47 PL games as Chelsea manager than Enzo Maresca!#Chelsea #CFC pic.twitter.com/NPtaOah1ND

— DR Sports (@drsportsmedia) October 27, 2025

He had a slow start to life in the role, before being awarded Manager of the Month in October 2019 after a 100% record that month. They went on to finish fourth that season, which is nothing to scoff at, and again he suffered Wembley heartbreak as the Blues lost to their London rivals Arsenal in the final of the FA Cup.

By December of the next season Chelsea were flying, leading both their group in the Champions League and topping the Premier League table by December. Everything fell apart almost instantly, however, as Lampard was dismissed in late January following a run of two wins in eight league matches that saw them fall to ninth.

His replacement, Thomas Tuchel, ended up being quite the success.

Everton: A Tough Job To Handle

Just over a year after his Chelsea dismissal, Lampard took the head coach job at Everton, a side who were 16th and in a generational slump following Rafa Benitez's leadership.

An unbelievable comeback at Goodison Park saw the Toffees win 3-2 against Crystal Palace from being 2-0 down, a result which secured their Premier League status.

Speaking about keeping Everton up, he said: "It is one of the greatest moments of my footballing life and career.

"I have been very fortunate to have amazing times, especially at Chelsea as a player and a coach. But when you feel the feelings and desperation of what relegation brings to the table, it is different.

"It is a special night in Everton's history."

The rest of his time in Merseyside wasn't as poetic, unfortunately, as they were plunged back into a relegation scrap the next season, and he lost his job following one win in 11 that left the club in 19th.

The sacking came two days short of two years since his Chelsea departure.

Chelsea Return... Again: Disaster

Two and a half months later, Lampard took over from Graham Potter in an interim position to see out the final few matches of the 2022/23 season.

This was undoubtedly the lowest point in his career; Chelsea saw their first bottom-half finish since 1996 as Lampard earned the worst win-rate percentage (9%) of any Blues manager who had managed more than three games, with only one win in 11 games.

Coventry City: Rejuvination

Having taken 18 months out of management, Lampard returned to the Championship with Coventry, a side who weren't meeting expectations as they found themselves towards the bottom of the table, bearing in mind the previous season they reached the FA Cup Semi-Finals and were Playoff Finalists the year before that.

Their turnaround was almost instant, as a dramatic late season push meant they finished the season in fifth, only for Lampard to once again suffer disappointment in the Playoffs.

This year, though, they are truly formidable. It only takes one glance at the Championship table to see how dramatically they stand out, with a remarkable goal difference of 25 after just 12 games, the next best being Bristol City's nine.

Just how good have Frank Lampard's Coventry City been this season? 😮‍💨📈 pic.twitter.com/LDC1cprE2a

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) October 25, 2025

Though Middlesbrough are offering somewhat of a threat to the title race, if the rest of the league isn't careful then the Sky Blues look to be runaway Champions this year, having displayed sheer domination in a number of their games already.

Lampard appears to be getting the best from his players, beyond just great results and massive scorelines (the 7-1 win against QPR and 5-3 win against Derby come to mind).

Though they were already stars for Coventry last year, Jack Rudoni and Victor Torp are proving to be two of the finest midfielders in the division, while Brandon Thomas-Asante has terrified defenders in a fashion that seems alien when compared to his time at West Brom.

The Future: What's In Store?

The Premier League beckons for Coventry, and it will be a new test for Lampard to fight for success at the top-end of the table.

He is certainly on the radar of big clubs from the Premier League and beyond, and it would be a surprise to see him still at Coventry for more than another 18 months.

The legend has well and truly turned his prospects around, from a laughing stock of a Premier League manager back to the exciting managerial prodigy he was at Derby. Let's hope history doesn't repeat itself, but having displayed humility in returning to the Championship, it looks like he has learned from his mistakes of taking jobs that are too big, too soon.

Who knows what the future has in store - could he one day be Thomas Tuchel's replacement in the England role?