3/1 To Win
Sven-Goran Eriksson has told dcfc.co.uk that he believes it was always Frank Lampard’s destiny to become a manager.
The 70-year-old former England boss managed Lampard with the national team for five years between 2001 and 2006 and says he always felt that the now 39-year-old would always make that transition into the dugout after his distinguished playing career came to an end.
Lampard was named as the new Derby County manager on Thursday morning, signing a three-year deal with the club, to take his first step into management.
“He had to be a manager,” Eriksson said. “You could see that.”
“He was born into a family of players, coaches and managers and I think this is his destiny.
“I believe he will be an excellent manager. He was a very clever football player, tactically very good and not only did he score plenty of goals, but he was a thinking football player and thought about everything that he did.
“He will be a good coach for sure. Frank was not only a great footballer with top, top, quality, but he was also a great man and a very clever man.
“I have listened to some of the speeches he has done at various football dinners over time and he speaks so well.
“He’s a man who is used to being in the light and can express himself. All those things are also very important if you want to be a manager.”
Did Eriksson feel there was a risk element to appointing Lampard as he prepares to take his first steps as a manager?
“If you had asked me about a normal football player I would say it is always a risk, but in the case of Frank Lampard it is not a risk,” he said.
“He has been brought up with football, not just on the pitch, but off it too. I can guess that a lot of the talks around the family table are about football.”
Eriksson also feels that Derby County is the ‘perfect’ club for him to begin with.
“Derby is a perfect club for him to begin with,” he added. “It’s a club with big traditions, a very nice stadium, a very nice training ground and it’s a big club with ambitions. It’s a club that wants to get to the Premier League.”
As well as Eriksson, Lampard has worked under the likes of Claudio Ranieri, Jose Mourinho, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink, Carlo Ancelotti and Manuel Pellegrini.
The Swede feels that working alongside such distinguished names in football management can only benefit the new Rams boss, insisting that he will learn from each and every one of them.
“He has a big list of people he would be able to lean on,” Eriksson said. “He has his father and his uncle Harry (Redknapp) first and foremost.
“I think it is very good that he has worked under the managers that he has too. I guess, if you are a player on his level that has worked under big coaches, you will learn from each of them and create your own style on how to coach and how to play.
“I’m sure he learned a little bit from everybody.”
One final question, will Eriksson will be following Lampard’s progress as he prepares for his new role in the dugout?
“For sure I will do that, just as I will with Steven Gerrard at Glasgow Rangers,” he added.
“It’s always a big pressure, but it’s pleasing to see so many of these players, not just in England, thriving.
“I have (Roberto) Mancini and Diego Simeone amongst others and always look to see how they are getting on.
“It makes me happy to see them successful and that will be the case with Frank Lampard for sure.”
