In
an exclusive interview with Sky Sports' Geoff Shreeves, Derby County boss
Frank Lampard tells us what it will be like going back to Chelsea, whether
he has ambitions to take over at Stamford Bridge one day, and how he would
feel getting one over on his former club.
Lampard takes his Derby side to Chelsea for a Carabao Cup fourth-round tie
on Wednesday night - a match you can see live on Sky Sports Football -
looking to build on the already impressive start to his managerial career.
The 40-year-old may have only taken over at Pride Park in May, but he has
already guided the club to the Championship play-off places and within a win
of the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
Lampard's young team - including Chelsea loanees Mason Mount and Fikayo
Tomori, who have been given the green light to play against their parent
club - will travel to west London full of confidence having knocked out
Manchester United on penalties in the third round.
And here, the man who scored a record 211 goals for Chelsea - including four
the last time Derby visited the Bridge 10 years ago - talks the 'Frank
Lampard Way', that game at Old Trafford, the British core to his side, and
what has most surprised him about management…
Going back to Chelsea: It will just be loads of love!
I was delighted when the draw came out. Having gone and played a year at
Manchester City, which I did not expect to do, and then I went back to
Chelsea and the goal… it did not take away from anything between me and
Chelsea, it was just nice to go back.
This is my new career and a new challenge for me, but that club stays with
me. So it is all good emotions and then down to the business.
Thirteen years of memories and what the club did for me. I was fortunate to
be part of a great club, great people, great fans and it is a club that
stays with you throughout your life.
It was a special era and it will always be my place. Obviously now I have a
job and things change, but Chelsea and the people there will always be in my
heart. Hopefully it will just be loads of love both ways!
Eyes on the Chelsea job: I'm not a dreamer
If you talk about dreams, I want to manage and I want to manage at the top.
Doesn't everybody?
But I would be stupid to get that far ahead of myself. I am here and loving
this club, I really am. The staff, fans, players, it is an incredible club
with a great history.
I am in this moment now. So for me to try and jump forward to Chelsea or
anywhere else… That will rely on how I do here. This is the start of the
journey.
I am not a dreamer, I am a day-by-day man and I want to be successful here.
That is the only thing I will be thinking about. I will be happy to be at
Stamford Bridge, of course, but I will also be thinking about the job in
hand.
Derby's last Chelsea trip: Hopefully it'll be better this time
It was a difficult year for Derby and I managed to score four goals against
them, so hopefully it is better for Derby this time around.
Beating Manchester United: We deserved to be there
Manchester United was a huge test for us at the stage that it came. All I
wanted was for the players to play with personality because I believe in
them. The talent is there, they will do that on the pitch.
I wanted them to go there and not be afraid and say, 'we deserve to be here
by right'. And when they showed that to me… it was more than Harry Wilson's
fantastic free-kick, I was more pleased with the general personality of the
players to go to Old Trafford and say, 'we deserve to be here'.
That is all I ask for on Wednesday night against Chelsea, I ask them to show
personality. The result will be difficult, because it is Chelsea, but if
they show that again, then they will give a good account of themselves.
'
The Frank Lampard Way': Aggressive, hardworking, brave
I am worried about the Frank Lampard way because that is hopefully a
progression and it can be adaptable. But if you are taking about the basic
things I come in with, then I want an aggressive team, a hardworking team, a
team that are brave on the ball and play exciting football because that is
what we all want to watch and I certainly do.
We are making good steps on all those fronts, some results I would have
liked to be better for different reasons. But everybody has worked really
hard to try and get to that way, so I am happy.
But there is a lot more to do - there are good reports and nice words spoken
about us, so I do not take any notice of that. Well, I do for about three
seconds and enjoy that, but I then move on because there is a load more to
do here.
Managerial surprises: I take defeats home with me
As a manager, defeats are hard and I take them hard. Maybe as I get more
balanced in my mind and life, then maybe I will get more perspective around
them.
But at the moment defeats are hard and I take them home and I find it hard
to switch off, which you need to do sometimes as you cannot carry it around
24 hours a day.
Derby's British core: I'm not a recruitment expert
Obviously we have the two Chelsea players, who I knew, and Harry Wilson I
knew of through connections. I have gone with what I know. I am not a
recruitment expert, I have not been scouring Europe for the last few years
waiting for the Derby job to come along!
Loanees get green light: Classy move by Chelsea
I was not that confident (Chelsea would allow Mount and Tomori to play)! I
made the call because I thought I would go straight in! I messaged Dave
Barnard (director of football operations), then spoke to Gianfranco Zola and
Marina Granovskaia (director). And they took time to decide as they have a
lot of players out on loan. So they had to think about the bigger picture.
But in the end, the whole decision came down to what is the benefit for the
two players and the experience of playing against Chelsea. And as I said, it
was a classy and strong move by Chelsea because a club like them should be
confident of playing against us. But the bigger picture is they are Chelsea
players, so I am thankful for them for that and it is a great opportunity
for the lads.
Beating Chelsea: I'd be proud to win back 'home'
It would be great for the club. For me personally, I am doing my job, so to
come up against Maurizio Sarri and a fantastic Chelsea side at a place that
I call home - to win there I would of course be proud of the team, very
proud because there is a lot of work that goes into preparing for this game.
But I, of course, go here with the intention of winning the game…
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