“He didn’t know”- Chelsea legend claims Guardiola and Mourinho wouldn’t have done better than Lampard

Claude Makelele states Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho would not do a better job than Frank Lampard with current Chelsea squad

Chelsea legend Claude Makelele has claimed Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho won’t do a better job than Frank Lampard with the current Chelsea squad.

Lampard, who has been appointed as the Blues’ interim manager until the end of the season, has seen one victory in his first six matches.

The Blues are currently looking for a permanent manager and after talks with Mauricio Pochettino, who has been identified as an ideal manager to take over West Londoners for next season.

Jose Mourinho passes on the opportunity for a third stint as Chelsea manager.
Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is arguably one of our greatest-ever managers. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

However, Makelele feels the former Blues midfielder is doing a much better job and claims even Guardiola and Mourinho wouldn’t be much better than Lampard.

Speaking to the Mirror, he said:

“You could have brought in Guardiola, Mourinho, or whoever you think is the best. But they would have struggled because he was dealing with very new players. He didn’t know their background and everything that’s going on. Frank accepted the challenge. The win last Saturday would have done some good and brought a little bit of happiness.”

Given the fact that Mourinho and Guardiola are two distinct managers, what Makelele claimed is surely inaccurate.

In all honesty, the former manager of Porto could have done significantly better than Lampard had he been hired. The Portuguese manager doesn’t necessarily need a new group of players to fit into his system; he can use the same players and still guide them to success.

Pep Guardiola is a three-time UEFA Champions League finalist and four-time Premier League winner.
Pep Guardiola is a three-time UEFA Champions League finalist and four-time Premier League winner. Copyright: Dave Thompson 61369608

There are many instances of this happening with the clubs; Porto and Inter are two clubs he guided to the Champions League without making many changes, along with AS Roma when he won the UEFA Conference League last season.

Guardiola is also a brilliant tactician. It is an insult to Pep and Mou’s tactical brilliance and footballing IQ to say they wouldn’t have managed at least a win and a draw if they were hired in place of Lampard last month.

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It took the Englishman seven tries to avoid defeat during his second stint as manager here. Guardiola and especially Mourinho know how to grind out results. Lampard, meanwhile, isn’t as experienced as them and neither does he command the same respect in the managerial world as those two.

It would be a dream scenario to have someone like Pep manage Chelsea, who is on course to win his fifth league title in the last six seasons. Mourinho was apparently approached by Chelsea for a third stint at Stamford Bridge, but he passed on the offer.