Frank Lampard is set to be relieved of his duties as manager of Chelsea today, with players being asked not to come to training until Monday afternoon. Multiple sources have confirmed that the sacking is set to take place today. However, the club are still mute on the issue.
Although they are only 11 points away from the league leaders Manchester United, the Blues find themselves in 9th place in front of Southampton, who have a game in hand on the club, and could push them down to 10th in the process of winning their yet-to-be-played game.
Chelsea managed to win their recent home outing in the FA Cup against Championship club Luton Town with the scoreline reading 3-1 at the final whistle, with Tammy Abraham scoring his first hat-trick at Stamford Bridge in the process.
The Blues have had a disappointing recent run of form, especially away from home that has seen them succumb at the hands of Everton, Wolves, Arsenal, Leicester City and Manchester City (at home).
What’s even more disheartening for the fans of the club is the fact that Chelsea have not even won a single match against top-half opposition this season. The failure to properly integrate new signings Timo Werner, Kai Havertz and Hakim Ziyech has also drawn heavy criticism towards the Blues boss.
Lampard’s team selection has also left many frustrated, with players who are on a run of form often being left out of the starting XI due to rotational purposes. All these factors have possibly made things too difficult for the board to trust Lampard with finishing the season in Champions League places at the very least.
We could, hence, be hours away from an announcement from the club regarding the dismissal of Lampard. Thomas Tuchel is rumoured to be the best of the favourites to take over the Chelsea dugout and has agreed on a deal with the club, according to Fabrizio Romano on Twitter.