Chelsea would certainly argue that he was their best, and indeed, he still holds the record for the most goals scored by anyone at the club (211).
Lampard's Championship managerial record is excellent
That's some feat when you consider the strikers that have passed through the halls at Stamford Bridge, including Didier Drogba, Jimmy Greaves, Peter Osgood, Eden Hazard and others.
Lampard's standing in the game as a player isn't, and has never been, in doubt, but there remain huge question marks over his abilities as a manager at the highest level.
After leading Coventry City back to the promised land of the Premier League after a 25-year absence, followers of the Sky Blues are likely to beg to differ in terms of Lampard's excellence, and his record there before this season certainly stood up to scrutiny.
In their Championship-winning campaign, Lampard oversaw 28 wins from 46 games, 11 draws and just seven losses, scoring an incredible 97 goals and conceding 45, to end the season on 95 points.
Derby were brilliant under the former England midfielder
They were, in every aspect, worthy champions in English football's second tier in 2025/26.
It's also worth harking back to 2018/19, when Lampard was in charge of another Championship outfit, Derby County.
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Though the Rams were ultimately unsuccessful in the playoffs that year, in the regular season they won 20, drew 14 and lost 12 out of 46 games, and were, like Coventry, lauded for the quality of their football.
The performance in the playoff semi-final at Elland Road against Leeds was one of the best seen from a Lampard side to date, which makes his inability to replicate it at a higher level a bit of a head-scratcher.
No points and no goals for Coventry
Since returning to management in the top flight, things haven't really gone according to plan for the 48-year-old.
In interviews, he continues to talk a good game, but perhaps Lampard needs to ensure that he has players of a sufficient standard to be able to execute his ideas and particular way of working.
After four games played in the current Premier League campaign, Coventry have no points and no goals.
They've conceded 10 in those four games and have looked well out of their depth in all but the game against Hull City, which they lost late on, despite dominating for long periods.
Awful record at Chelsea too
The Tigers, promoted via the playoffs, have fared much better, and currently find themselves in fourth, and just four points off top spot.
Considering they finished sixth in last season's Championship, and were 22 points behind Coventry, that's some start, albeit there is an understanding that the season has only just begun and, to quote a phrase, 'it's a marathon, not a sprint.'
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It doesn't get away from the fact that Lampard is underperforming as a manager, and in fact, it hammers home the point.
Indeed, if we also take his second, temporary spell at Chelsea into account, it makes for awful reading. His 11 games in all competitions (nine in the EPL) produced only one win, two draws and eight defeats, for an appalling 9.09% win percentage.
Familiar pattern emerging
Three wins in 22 games for Everton in the 2022/23 season evidences that the pattern that's beginning to emerge at Coventry is a familiar one.
There does have to be an acceptance that Lampard can only work with what he has in front of him, and though talented, it's arguable that some of his squad aren't Premier League class.
However, the former midfielder clearly has issues in terms of motivating players to produce the type of performances needed on a regular basis to be successful in the division.
Though he doesn't display quite the same level of self-aggrandisement as Leicester City's Russell Martin has at his various jobs, there is an element of it which can be seen to creep in at times during Lampard's press conferences in particular.
Just like Steven Gerrard found out at Aston Villa, despite being a fabulous footballer, maybe he and Lampard are just not cut out for elite-level management.
The former Liverpool midfielder has carved out a place for himself in the punditry space, and Lampard has previously done the same.
It's not too much of a stretch, then, to imagine that the latter's future might well be in breaking down the various tactical elements of a match from the comfort of a studio, rather than trying to deliver performances that are anything other than sub-standard out on the pitch.
Jason Pettigrove has been the features writer for Flashscore since 2025, utilising Opta data to form the basis of his articles. He has previously worked for high profile football clubs, news and media outlets, both in print and digital, and can usually be found watching FC Barcelona when time permits. You can read more of his pieces here.
