Are Henry and Lampard among the new breed of managers we seek?
Thierry Henry and Frank Lampard are the latest ex-footballers to become managers in Europe. These are two of the players who have won almost everything in world football. How time flies right? Henry as a professional footballer played for top european teams like AS Monaco, Arsenal and Barcelona. While Frank Lampard played for West Ham and Chelsea, attaining his legendary status before leaving for New York Red Bulls.
After just a few years, Henry is now the manager of AS Monaco, a club he played for in the past. After retirement from playing football, Henry took up a job as a pundit with sky sports. He was a good analyst who had good knowledge of football, having played the game at the highest level. Later, he joined the Belgium National team as Assistant Manager to Roberto Martinez, where he honed his skills for two years before his latest stint.
Frank Lampard assumed manager of Derby County, an English Championship side in the summer of 2018 and has got off to a flying start. He previously worked with Chelsea youth team, and has been involved in development of some prospects like Mason Mount. Frank Lampard has indicated to one day manage at Chelsea.
Football has evolved in many ways and coaching is not left out. There is now more freedom of tactic manipulations and more direct attacking football with more emphasis on playing the ball than protecting it. These new crop of coaches, which also include Steven Gerrard of Rangers and Gennaro Gattuso of AC Milan, are ones to really watch.
Players who have played in the highest level aren’t fundamentally better at managing than other pro managers who have never played the game. But what they have going for them is that they have match undertanding, which is second to none. This gives them good edge over their non-footballer counterparts.
The above two examples show that time is really getting by. And we cant wait to see what they have to offer the world of football. I’d simply say “The golden generation of managers is upon us!”
