Work outs and dog walking: Frank Lampard reveals Chelsea ‘superstitions’

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has admitted to being superstitious after revealing the daily routine he undergoes.

The former Blues midfielder succeeded Maurizio Sarri at Stamford Bridge this summer and is enjoying a positive first season at the helm so far.

Lampard’s bright start: Five key things to know…

• Lampard is Chelsea’s all-time leading goalscorer.
• He succeeded Sarri as manager in the summer.
• Lampard began with a 4-0 loss at Man Utd.
• He’s since turned it around and won the Manager of the Month award for October.
• Six consecutive league wins leaves them joint-second in the Premier League table.

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A run of six consecutive Premier League wins sees Lampard’s men sit eight points off leaders Liverpool heading into the final international break of 2019.

It’s a far cry from losing 4-0 on the opening weekend at Man Utd and the Blues also sit well in their Champions League group, level on points with Ajax and Valencia after four games.

Since taking over from Sarri. there’s been a gradual restructuring of the west London club’s starting lineup; Lampard has injected youth, partly as a response to being prohibited by Fifa from delving into the transfer market.

Those youngsters helped Lampard pick up the Manager of the Month award for October, a prize that has often brought upon a curse on the recipient, but Lampard – a superstitious fellow during his playing career – is not afraid of befalling to such a predicament and has come prepared.

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“On the curse, I have heard of it. I know it and I am relatively superstitious. I was always as a player and I carry it into my management,” he told reporters.

“It was very common place in our [Chelsea] dressing room. John [Terry] used to do it a lot. John was very structured in his build-up. [I have] routines. Like walking the dog, or what time I leave, or the boots I wear in training, or little bits and bobs. It’s more routine than structure, which can be quite awkward.

“I walk the dog at certain times and on certain days. The day before training, I will walk her at a certain time, for a certain route. I take her out in the morning. I go out early before I leave, I take her down to the local coffee shop, get my takeaway coffee, walk around, pick up her s***, put it in the bin, walk her home then go to training.

“To be fair, I walk the dog a lot and I find it quite good for clearing the head.”

Very superstitious

To call Lampard superstitious is an understatement.

“I like to go to the gym as well – that’s another one of my superstitions,” he continued.

“I have to spend the same amount of time on the bike – 50 minutes – or the amount that I run. Things like that. I’m still sweating now. I’ve just been doing it.

“If I don’t do them, then I can feel like, ridiculously, as if it might have an effect on the result. Sometimes I do miss the dog walk for whatever reason. I’m also a relatively new dad, my daughter is a year and a bit, so sometimes I have to do other things et cetera. So it does not absolutely hold me down.

“I don’t mind structure and I like walking the dog. So if it was something that was painful, I would probably try and get rid of it, but it actually fits nicely. I like going to the gym, I like walking the dog, I like eating pasta as a pre-match meal, so I stick with certain things.

“For me, I think we are all different, and I don’t completely rely on it. I joke a little bit, but I think it shows how much you want to do well and win sometimes, whether it has an effect or not. And I think if that’s in your mindset, that’s not the worst thing, albeit it might become a bit annoying sometimes if you stick to it.”