MX23RW : Friday, December 20 22:30:51| >> :120:24568:24568:
Dec 22, 2019 at 4.30pm UK at ​Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
SpursTottenham Hotspur
vs.
Chelsea

Frank Lampard not out to become Jose Mourinho "clone"

Frank Lampard not out to become Jose Mourinho
© Reuters
Lampard maintains the Chelsea-Tottenham rivalry is far more important than his personal battle with Mourinho.

Frank Lampard insists he will not try to be a managerial "clone" of Jose Mourinho.

Lampard maintains the Chelsea-Tottenham rivalry is far more important than his personal battle with his former Blues boss Mourinho.

Current Stamford Bridge chief Lampard will go up against his ex-Blues manager Mourinho in Sunday's derby clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Lampard is set to come up against his former boss Jose Mourinho
Lampard is set to come up against his former boss Jose Mourinho (John Walton/PA)

And Lampard believes he must forge his own path in management, rather than try to copy Mourinho, who had a significant guiding hand on the ex-England midfielder's career.

Asked to name the most important lesson he took from working with Mourinho, Lampard said: "There's not one thing, no; he's obviously a good manager with loads of good attributes.

"But there's not one specific thing I learned working under him, and I wouldn't strive to be a clone or anything.

"I'm happy to go up against Jose; for me to play under him, he was a big influence in my career.

"To go up against him for Derby against Manchester United last year was a big deal for me. And that still remains.

"I'll always have respect for him. The bigger thing is Chelsea-Tottenham, and what that rivalry means to our players and us.

"Rivalries are what you feel about your club. Our fans will demand on Sunday what we feel for the game; passion."

Lampard won two league titles at Chelsea under Mourinho's stewardship, with the pair forging a strong bond.

Now the relationship has morphed with the two men peers, and Mourinho already making progress at Chelsea's arch rivals Spurs.

Hailing ex-Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino's impact at the north London club, Lampard insisted Chelsea and Tottenham are now neck and neck in status.

Asked to appraise the rivalry between the sides, Lampard said: "It should be relatively even when you look at the clubs and, in the last four years, where Chelsea and Tottenham have been fighting to get into the top four.

"They had a fantastic manager in Mauricio Pochettino who built an incredible team, that made them a big challenge for every team in the Premier League. It's always a competitive fixture."

Chelsea head to Spurs desperate for a result after just one win in five Premier League matches.

The Blues slipped up 1-0 at home to injury-hit Bournemouth last weekend, with boss Lampard bemoaning his side's sluggish play in defeat.

Chelsea have had a full week's preparation ahead of the Tottenham trip, leaving Lampard hoping his players are refreshed and ready to press on again.

Asked about the significance of a full week's build-up, Lampard said: "It feels valuable for that. There was much-needed rest at the beginning of the week.

"The last performance at home, where we didn't show the edge we had in terms of chance creation, it was important to have a bit of a rest.

"We've had the chance to be more active in the back end of the week. We'll see if that helps."

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Spurs boss Jose Mourinho gesticulates on November 30, 2019
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Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool17161042142849
2Leicester CityLeicester17123240112939
3Manchester CityMan City17112447192835
4Chelsea179263125629
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs177553224826
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd176742620625
7Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd176742116525
8Wolverhampton WanderersWolves175932421324
9Crystal Palace176561519-423
10Arsenal175752427-322
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle176471724-722
12Burnley176382229-721
13Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton175572125-420
14Bournemouth175481924-519
15West Ham UnitedWest Ham175481928-919
16Everton175392029-918
17Aston Villa1743102330-715
18Southampton1743101836-1815
19Norwich CityNorwich1733111835-1712
20Watford171610932-239

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