Former Chelsea manager reveals why Frank Lampard can do well as a manager

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Rafael Benitez said that he knew Frank Lampard would do well as a manager because of his family influence and his playing position.

The Chelsea legend joined the club as their manager in July, replacing Maurizio Sarri who joined Juventus. Lampard’s managerial spell at Stamford Bridge started in shaky fashion as they failed to win any of their first three matches.

SEE MORE: Jose Mourinho had a go at Frank Lampard via text after his disastrous opening day defeat

However, Chelsea’s performances have improved a lot lately and they are currently 5th in the Premier League table.

Benitez who managed Lampard during his short spell at Chelsea, said that he knew that the 41-year-old would do well in management. As quoted by football.london, the Spaniard said: “I didn’t work with Frank for too long (it’s the same for John Terry, who is now assistant manager at Aston Villa), but it was not so difficult to guess he might go into coaching or management. You could see his interest in football but he also had the influence of his family all around him. He was surrounded by coaches; his father was assistant manager at West Ham for a long time and then worked with Brendan Rodgers, and Harry Redknapp is his uncle. Those relationships rub off.

“The position he played may have had a role, too. What was Frank’s speciality as a player? The timing of his runs into the box to score goals. Sometimes, you just have a job to do and that’s it but when you play in the middle and have to get into the box and decide when to go and whether it’s to the near post, the edge of the box or the second post, it entails a lot of thinking. Being able to see and read the game – being able to think quickly – are important qualities for a manager.”

Lampard has so far done pretty well with a Chelsea squad which has many young players. There is a very good chance that the Blues can finish the Premier League in the top four this season.

Chelsea will hope to bag all three points in their next match against Newcastle United this weekend.

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