Frank Lampard says Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has sent him inspirational voice notes admiring his ambition to emulate his teams.
Former England international Lampard has revealed how Guardiola left him recordings on WhatsApp during his managerial roles and while he has been out of work, including a series of messages after he lost the 2019 Super Cup to Liverpool on penalties a month after first taking charge at Stamford Bridge.
“I remember we lost 4-0 to Manchester United,” Lampard told City’s official website, recalling his first match as a Premier League manager in August 2019.
“We played pretty well but got counter-attacked a couple of times and then in the Super Club we played well but lost to Liverpool on penalties.
“I was down but then when someone of his ilk sends you a voice note to say he enjoyed the way we’d played. It gave me a really good feeling.”
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Lampard won the Premier League manager of the month award that October and reached the FA Cup final the following season but is yet to lift a trophy as a manager, leaving Stamford Bridge in 2021 and suffering the sack at Everton after less than a year in charge from January 2022.
The Chelsea legend won one of his 11 matches during a brief second spell as Blues manager at the end of last season and has not returned to work since, but has fond memories of his dealings with the man whose teams have dominated English football since he moved to Etihad Stadium in 2016.
“In the management world, where you can expect a coach to maybe be aloof or just worried about themselves, he’s made contact with me at various points,” said Lampard.
“At Chelsea and Everton and when I’ve not been working, he’s sent me messages: voice notes saying ‘well done’ after wins and ‘good luck’ before certain games.
“He’s clearly one of the hardest managers to come up against because of the way he sets up the team.
“He gives you so many problems. They are so hard to deal with because of the level of players he has but also the way he sets up.”
Lampard ‘wanted to play like Guardiola teams’
“When you’re a young coach like I was at Chelsea, you know you’re coming up against one of the very best coaches and you’re wary of what he can do to you,” said former City midfielder Lampard.
“He has experience and his experience is written down in history because he’s won so much.
“But it’s not all about that – sometimes it’s the style, and I wanted to play in a positive way like him. He acknowledged that and it certainly helped.”
Lampard’s final point as Toffees manager came in a 1-1 draw at City on New Year’s Eve 2022.
The former Derby County manager was sacked three games later following a run of six defeats and two draws in eight games.
Current Everton manager Sean Dyche succeeded Lampard, achieving Premier League safety on the final day of the 2022/23 campaign.
