View From The Bridge

For Chelsea, the start of their 2020/2021 Premier League campaign was much like the British governments handling of Covid-19 - lot's of money spent, full of controversy, and an overall s**t show. However, after the dismissal of Frank Lampard and the hiring of Thomas Tuchel in January, Chelsea has gone from mid-table wannabes to Champions League contenders, all in the space of 13 games. So, with a place in the Champions League final on the table and a top-four league spot all but guaranteed, is Tuchel's takeover of Chelsea the most successful in recent history?  Your first guess would probably be "No", as minds dart straight to the successes of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in his takeover of Manchester United in late 2019. Here, he set a new standard for caretaker managers and collected more points from his first ten games than any other manager in Premier League history (26). This included wins against 'Big Six' rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City and pushed t...

Welcome to Greatest Rivals! Each Wednesday, this page will pitch two great rivals against each other to finally find out who the real winner is! Over the coming weeks, this page will cover many great rivalries, from the glory of el Clasico to the back and forth action of some of Wimbledon's finest performers.  In order to determine a winner, each rivalry will be split into 2 categories: Statistical dominance and individual or team success. In case of a draw, the winner will then be elected from personal opinion.  Frank Lampard vs Steven Gerrard  Since 1966, England hasn't had much in terms of luck when it comes to true world-class talent. We've had the odd wunderkind but sure enough, they soon dissolve. However, the 21st century gave birth to two of the most decorated and feared midfield players of the modern era, each of whom led their respective teams for over a decade. As both rivals and as team-mates, they've been compared to one another throughout their entire care...

It's no secret that as of late, Chelsea has been the most disappointing 'Big Six' side. Since they sat at the top of the table in early December, the Blue's have followed a promising early showing with top-class mediocre football. With a record of 2 wins, 1 draw and 5 losses over the last 8 games and with over £222 million spent in the summer transfer window, Lampard may start to feel his seat on the Chelsea throne start to slip away.  Now, as I have said in the past, football thinking is very medieval in that on most occasions, the manager is blamed for a teams underperformance rather than the players. However, in this case, this way of thinking may be justified.  For any team, the purchase of Kai Havertz and Timo Werner is something footballing dreams are made of. Each player dominated at their former clubs and definitely made a case for their astronomical combined price tag of £129 million. However, with Havertz having an anonymous impact and Werner playing like a sh...