The pressure on Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri may have been eased after the club recorded back to back Premier League wins against Tottenham and Fulham following the League Cup final loss on penalties to Manchester City. However, many fans and pundits still do not feel that Sarri is the right man to manage the club.
The Stamford Bridge giants still face a difficult task to secure a top-four finish this season and if they do end the season trophy-less, it will not be surprising to see him get the sack. It is quite evident that the Italian tactician does not have the respect of all players in his dressing room. This was proven when goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga refused to be substituted for Willy Caballero ahead of the penalty shootout loss against City.
As a result of his actions, Kepa was fined one weeks wages and dropped for the game against Spurs. However, he returned to the starting xi last weekend against Fulham. One of the surprise names that have been linked with the Blues if Sarri gets sacked is Frank Lampard. The Blues legend is currently managing Derby County. He has drawn praise for the work that he has done with the Rams during his first season in charge as they could possibly win promotion to the Premier League next season via the promotion playoffs.
However, it would be a grave mistake for the Blues to consider him at this stage and if it ends up going wrong, it could ruin the reputation of a club legend. Lampard may have shown some good signs managing Derby this season, but he must only be considered for the Blues hot-seat once he has achieved something significant at a managerial level which he has yet to do.
He also does not have prior Premier League managerial experience which could work against him. Lampard may be a possible future top manager but he must get more experience before he is considered for the role with the Blues. If Chelsea do end up sacking Sarri, then there are far more experienced options that they could consider such as Nuno Espirito Santo, Rafa Benitez, Zinedine Zidane, Claudio Ranieri and even Sean Dyche or Eddie Howe.
