Poyet weighs on Lampard’s new circumstances at Chelsea

It’s a different ball game for Lampard this season, but Poyet reckons the Chelsea boss wouldn’t have it any other way.

Gus Poyet reckons Frank Lampard, like any other manager, is relishing the increased pressure on his shoulders this season after Chelsea’s massive spending spree.

Blues owner Roman Abramovich splashed out a reported £200m to sign Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Thiago Silva, Ben Chilwell, and Edouard Mendy for a new-look squad over the summer.

The big-money arrivals have naturally increased expectations for the 2020/21 campaign. Some consider Chelsea capable of a Premier League title tilt despite Lampard entering only his third term as a manager.

The 42-year-old did well to steer Chelsea to a top-four finish in his maiden season, but has acknowledged frequently the club’s summer business means he’s under pressure than ever before.

“I like what Frank did last season without the chance to sign players,” Poyet told the Daily Mail.

“He used young players who go through these adrenaline periods of doing brilliantly and then not so well.

“Is it more pressure? Give me pressure with better players any day. I’d always prefer a chairman who spends £200 million.”

The former Chelsea midfielder knows the pressure on Lampard well, having coached several sides himself. And if there’s one thing any manager can relate to, it’s the lack of patience shown by clubs in their coaches in this era.

Poyet, who has managed English sides Brighton and Sunderland in the past, added: “That’s football, that’s society. We increase dramatically the bad things and diminish the good.

“I saw when [Jose] Mourinho replaced Mauricio Pochettino [at Tottenham], it was because the board wanted to win trophies. But then they need to remember [Juande] Ramos who did win a trophy. It is a contradiction.”