Chelsea briefly went top of the league on Saturday (Getty Images)
Writing for Sky Sports, Arsenal legend, and pundit Paul Merson has backed Frank Lampard for the Manager of the Year award.
The Blues legend represented the club with distinction as a player. Now in the hot seat, he has led us to an extremely promising season with a major final yet to come.
The job was never going to be easy given Chelsea’s transfer ban. Lampard has made use of his resources to the fullest and is on the verge of securing a top-four finish.
He also dispatched Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United side with ease at Wembley to show once and for all as to which player of the two makes for the better manager.
The view is shared by Merson, who believes Lampard to be a serious contender for the award.
“For his first year in the top flight, where he couldn’t buy a player, he should get manager of the year! It’s phenomenal.”
It represents vindication for a manager who fell short in the final step with Derby County last season. He has now shown he has what it takes to compete at the highest level.
The biggest competition for Lampard is likely to come from Jurgen Klopp. The Liverpool manager led his side to a first league title in 30 years in what has been a dominant season.
The two will face off when Chelsea travel to Liverpool next. A win will ensure we qualify for the Champions League. We wouldn’t begrudge Klopp if he beats Lampard to the award. The Blues boss is still young and the German has, in all honesty, led his team to a near faultless campaign.
What matters is that we defeat Arsenal to win the FA Cup. With his first trophy in the bag and an FA cup at that, Lampard can build a golden future for himself and the club.
If that does come to pass, there will be plenty of personal awards waiting for him.
Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder too can lay a claim but Sheffield’s poor form since the restart could dampen his chances. Lampard may or may not win the award. But he has certainly shown that he belongs at this level.
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