Julen Lopetegui issues Frank Lampard verdict ahead of Wolves vs Chelsea

Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui has issued his verdict on Chelsea’s decision to reappoint Frank Lampard.

Ahead of their clash with Wolves this weekend, the Blues decided to sack Graham Potter after a disappointing season so far, replacing him with former boss Lampard. Lampard, who was recently sacked by Everton, has been appointed as caretaker boss until the end of the season, with Chelsea promising an ‘exhaustive search’ for their next permanent boss.

As things stand, Chelsea are as low as 11th in the table and five points off the European places, while Wolves are fighting for their lives, just one point above the drop zone. Wolves are no strangers to making a sacking decision, with Lopetegui taking over from Bruno Lage earlier this season, and Lopetegui has now weighed in on the situation himself.

“First it all, I’m sorry for Graham Potter,” the Spaniard has said. “Welcome to Frank; we have to focus on ourselves. Chelsea is one of the best teams in the world, a lot of top players. We have to look at ourselves.”

Lopetegui has already faced Lampard this season, winning 2-1, but the Wolves boss is expecting a very different type of game. He added: “It is a different game. Same coaches, but a different moment and different match. We don’t know what he’ll change, but Chelsea have very good players. We have to be ready with our gameplan.”

Wolves could do with a big result as they battle for safety, with no win in their last three, but Chelsea will arrive at Molineux hungry to turn things around with time running out in their bid to secure European football. The plus side for Wolves is that Lampard will barely have any time to implement new ideas, while Lopetegui has a full week to prepare with his players.