FRANK LAMPARD has warned Mikel Arteta the honeymoon period soon ends — even for club legends.
Former Arsenal player Arteta’s second game on his return to the club as head coach is Sunday’s London derby against Lampard’s Chelsea.
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And the Blues’ run of five defeats in their last seven Premier League games has given a little reality check to the euphoria surrounding the return of Stamford Bridge’s favourite son.
When asked about the honeymoon period not lasting long, Lampard said: “It doesn’t and it shouldn’t do.
“But I’m sure the fans will have a feeling for Arteta and want him to do well as being one of their own from before.
“I certainly found that it helps, knowing some faces behind the scenes, knowing the values of the club and what the standards are and what the wants are.
“I think that can help, probably in the start-up, early stages.
“After that it probably levels out and your work is your work.”
Lampard went into the Chelsea job with just a year of managerial experience, in his case at Championship side Derby.
The Arsenal job is Arteta’s first as a head coach after learning at the feet of serial winner Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
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Lampard said: “Yeah, but he has worked under one of the greatest, if not the greatest, for a couple of years.
“He was always an intelligent player, so I don’t buy the whole inexperienced one.
“You don’t know until you take the chance with somebody.
“Who’s to say a manager is better or worse if they are in their first or 50th year of management? I don’t buy it.”
But Lampard does acknowledge that it is one thing for Arteta to have watched and helped Guardiola work, and quite another to be making all the decisions himself.
Lampard said: “There’s a difference. He would have observed it more — now it’s his turn to make those decisions himself. But from the years he’s had there working with Guardiola, at a huge club who have been successful, I think that puts him in great stead.
“I don’t think the question mark will be that. I think it will be purely on Arteta, the quality of him, and can he get Arsenal to the position they want to be in?”
Lampard believes Arteta will need to draw heavily on the support of his backroom team, just as he does at Chelsea.
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The Blues boss said: “I wouldn’t say I thrive on having ultimate responsibility, it’s the job. I do it to try and be successful.
“I’m not a control or power freak but if a decision needs to be made for the benefit of where we are at, that is my job — but I also think you have good people around you.
“Arteta has put his staff together. He knows he’ll rely on them, I certainly rely on mine.”
Lampard faced Arteta when they were both players.
The Chelsea boss said: “He was a very good player, very intelligent player, very technical player.
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“He seemed to be a leader — not a fist-pumping kind of leader but a leader in whatever teams he was playing in.
“So it looks like he could be well suited to management.
“I understand the strains and the pressures of it, and the desires to want to do well in it, so on a personal level I wish him well.”
