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By STEVE DOUGLAS, AP Sports activities Author
Frank Lampard by no means gave any credence to the view that Jose Mourinho, his previous mentor, was a supervisor who had been swept apart by the trendy recreation.
Lampard, in any case, developed a particular bond with Mourinho whereas changing into one of many world’s nice attacking midfielders below the Portuguese coach of their trophy-laden time collectively at Chelsea from 2004-07.
And he has tapped into what he sees as Mourinho’s greatest attributes as a coach — his successful mentality, his potential to fill gamers with self-belief — within the early phases of his personal managerial profession.
So, for Lampard, it’s no shock to see Mourinho rebound from a troublesome spell answerable for Manchester United and be on the Premier League title cost as soon as once more, this time at Tottenham.
“You don’t have a document as embellished as Jose Mourinho has with out being a really gifted coach,” Lampard mentioned Friday. “The sport is so reactionary in the intervening time. Significantly the trendy period, with all social-media response.”
The respect is there, clearly, however that doesn’t imply Lampard isn’t going to face as much as Mourinho on the touchline.
On Sunday, Lampard’s Chelsea hosts Mourinho’s Tottenham at Stamford Bridge within the largest Premier League match of the weekend that includes two members of the present prime three. Tottenham, in first place, is 2 factors forward of Chelsea in third.
It brings Lampard and Mourinho collectively on the touchline, two months after they’d a mid-match spat within the technical space throughout a League Cup match at Tottenham. Mourinho apparently made a reference to Lampard changing into extra vocal after his staff took the lead — Chelsea would go on to lose on penalties — whereas Lampard, for his half, requested why Mourinho spent extra time chatting with the referee than his personal gamers.
Final yr, in the meantime, when the groups met within the league at Tottenham’s stadium, Mourinho claimed Lampard had merely copied predecessor Antonio Conte’s techniques in utilizing a 3-4-Three formation for a match Chelsea received 2-0.
Lampard was additionally concerned in a touchline spat with Liverpool supervisor Jurgen Klopp within the next-to-last match of final season. With barely two years of senior managerial expertise behind him, Lampard is refusing to be walked throughout.
“It’s not essential simply to face my floor,” he mentioned. “It’s essential to strategy the sport in opposition to all the highest coaches — and we’re lucky within the Premier League to have nice coaches — to attempt to put together my staff in addition to I can to attempt to win the video games.
“I’ve respect for Jose as a supervisor. I didn’t take any offense to the speak about Antonio Conte’s system or no matter. I performed that system clearly quite a bit otherwise final yr once we did play it to how Conte would have performed. Jose can have his opinions. It’s a not an issue.”
Certainly, Chelsea did the league double over Tottenham final season, beating its London rival 2-1 at dwelling, however the present model of Spurs has extra of Mourinho’s fingerprints on it.
The protection is getting tighter, the beefed-up midfield is extra hard-working with the arrival of anchorman Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, whereas Harry Kane and Son Heung-min have developed an outstanding partnership in assault, proving particularly harmful on the counter.
It was through that route that Tottenham scored its objectives in a 2-Zero win over Manchester Metropolis final weekend, lifting Mourinho’s staff to the highest of the league.
Win on Sunday in what’s Chelsea’s 1,000th recreation since Roman Abramovich purchased the membership in 2003, and — nevertheless Mourinho tries to downplay it — Tottenham will likely be seen as real title contenders.
“You must respect Tottenham and the best way they’re taking part in, the standard they’ve and their model and the way they wish to strategy video games. I’m very conscious of it,” Lampard mentioned. “The sport final week (in opposition to Metropolis) has numerous tips to that. I additionally assume they’re a staff that’s so gifted they will play in varied methods.
“However with us, probably the greatest issues I’ve seen just lately is the stability in our staff. I believe we aren’t an excessively attacking staff that may go away ourselves weak. We’ve got to remember significantly of the extent of Harry Kane, the connection with him and Son on the minute. I don’t assume you may look previous that.”
Lampard mentioned Christian Pulisic is on the market once more after the American winger’s newest hamstring harm however was unlikely to play from the beginning.
Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80
Extra AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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