Frank Lampard believes the return of Jose Mourinho as manager has removed the instability that has undermined Chelsea’s title challenge for the past two years.
Mourinho has already made an impact in his second spell at Stamford Bridge with the club second in the Premier League and looking good for the knock-out stages of the Champions League.
Chelsea have appointed seven coaches since Mourinho’s first spell ended in 2007 with Andre Villas-Boas, Roberto Di Matteo and interim manager Rafael Benitez all hired in the last two seasons alone.
The club paid the price for the uncertainty by finishing 25 and 14 points behind the champions in 2012 and last May respectively but are looking stronger contenders under Mourinho this term.
Lampard told talkSport: “After the instability of the past couple of years, it’s nice to be a bit more settled. Personally, I was delighted [he returned] because I knew what a great manager he’d be for the club and for me.
“We have a lot of young players here. They need direction, a good leader and someone to take them forward. For me, he was the man that was going to do it, and is doing it.
“After the interim manager thing, it was refreshing to talk about a two or three-year plan and to be able to look to the future. That was a good feeling for everyone at the club — not just for me.
“I think at the top level it’s about man-management, talking to players and appreciating how a player feels. Then you get a two‑way respect, and I think that’s what the manager here is very good at.
“He has a relationship with every player, whether they’re playing, on the bench, in the stands or injured. Sometimes I think there’s a bit of magic there, too – Mourinho has it, and people like Sir Alex Ferguson have it.
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“They look quite hard-nosed from the outside, but when you actually go behind the scenes they work with their players very well.”
Chelsea take on West Brom at home tomorrow without Fernando Torres due to a thigh injury while Ryan Bertrand is also doubtful. Eden Hazard will return to the squad after being dropped against Schalke for missing training earlier in the week.
