Lampard has come under intense pressure from the media and fans following the Blues’ recent bad run of form which has led many to opine that the board should show the English coach the exit door, but Merson maintains his compatriot is still capable of bringing success to the West Londoners.
The 42-year-old steered Chelsea to a fourth-placed finish last season despite a transfer ban which was placed on the Premier League side by FIFA.
In an attempt to get back to the top, Chelsea spent over £200 million over the summer, bringing in the likes of Edouard Mendy, Ben Chilwell, Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner.
Chelsea also acquired the services of veteran Brazil defender Thiago Silva, whose adventure in France with Paris Saint-Germain came to an end following the conclusion of the 2019/2020 season.
Chelsea started the season in a slow fashion but eventually got their rhythm and mounted a 15-game unbeaten run.
Lampard’s men have not been themselves recently as they have won only two matches out of their last eight games and have slipped to ninth on the Premier League table.
Despite a strange time in West London, Merson insists Lampard has done ‘okay’ this season and a realistic achievement would be a top four finish.
“If Chelsea don’t beat Fulham, should they sack Frank Lampard? It depends what Chelsea want this year. It’s alright saying: ‘Let’s get rid of Frank’ but who comes in?” Merson said in his column for Sky Sports.
“Do they go back in for Rafa Benitez? If you’re going to bring in Andriy Shevchenko, what’s the difference? It’s the same as Lampard, he hasn’t managed world-class players, and will need time.”
“It’s not like you can bring in a Carlo Ancelotti for a quick fix. Sooner or later, there has to be a plan at Chelsea. You can’t spend £200m and think you’re going to win the league, it doesn’t work like that.”
“Lampard did a great job last year, and it’s the first time he has worked with world-class players. Give him a chance.” he added.
“A plan is to be realistic about where they expect to come this season: I would have probably said the plan was to stay in the top four – because they already made the top four not spending £200m last season – and probably be in the title race.”
