Frank Lampard's temporary reign at Chelsea is a "risky gamble" but could well pay off for the beleaguered club, believes Rafael Benitez.
Former Blues head coach Lampard returned to his former post on a short-term basis on April 6 following Graham Potter's dismissal.
Yet with three losses from his first three games in charge, it has been far from a glowing reunion for the club's record goalscorer.
Benitez, who led Chelsea as interim boss himself for the bulk of the 2012-13 season, feels there is still time for Lampard to effect a turnaround.
"It was a surprise for everyone [re-appointing Lampard], but he has been there for many years and knows the players," Benitez told the Telegraph.
"It's a risky gamble that we will only be able to assess, as almost always, at the end. He has a great squad at his disposal, he knows the Premier League.
"He knows the players, the staff and the fans will give him more leeway than another manager because he was a great player there. He can give them more peace of mind in the short term."
Another of Benitez's former clubs, Real Madrid, stood in Chelsea's way on Tuesday, with the Blues looking to overturn a 2-0 deficit in their Champions League quarter-final.
Lampard was Benitez's captain for the 2013 Europa League final victory over Benfica, the lone honour of a season that saw the Spanish coach experience a thorny relationship with the club's fanbase.
The former Liverpool boss acknowledges his time on Merseyside likely coloured a negative impression of him among Chelsea fans, but he retains fond memories from his spell at Stamford Bridge, steering Chelsea to third place in the Premier League and semi-finals of the EFL Cup and FA Cup.
"It's not lost on anyone that [Roman] Abramovich's Chelsea were the strongest team in the Premier League when I arrived at Liverpool," Benitez said. "We competed with them and beat them in the Champions League several times, those games had a lot of tension, and it's not easy for a fan to forget the emotional part.
"Fortunately, we [at Chelsea] more than fulfilled our objectives of qualifying directly for the Champions League and, on top of that we also won the Europa League. I think everyone now sees it as a success."
If Chelsea were looking for encouragement ahead of the Madrid second leg, it was provided by recent history.
The Blues have progressed from five of their last seven Champions League ties when losing the first leg away from home, doing so in each of the last two when losing by two clear goals: against Napoli in 2011-12 and Paris Saint-Germain in 2013-14.
Xavi’s new Barcelona deal ‘shows the faith in the project’
Xavi believes his Barcelona contract extension reflects the faith the club has in his project as he prepares for Tuesday night’s LaLiga clash with Mallorca.
The Barca boss penned a contract extension until 2025 last week before overseeing a dramatic 3-2 win over Celta Vigo that made it five wins and one draw from their six league games this season.
Xavi believes his side did not play well on Saturday, when they scored three times in the last nine minutes to overturn a two-goal deficit, but credited his players for keeping themselves top of the table.
“We didn’t play well against Celta,” Xavi said.
“But we won and put ourselves top of the table and I got to extend my contract, which shows that the club has its faith in our project.”
Barca next travel to lowly Mallorca, who have won one of their opening six matches and lost 5-3 at Girona on Saturday, but Xavi expects a tough test.
“Mallorca is a difficult opponent,” he added.
“They have a lot to offer in defence and work very well for each other. They are physically very strong and have direct approach players like (Vedat) Muriqi and (Sergi) Darder and this won’t be an easy away trip against a team that wants to bounce back after such a big loss as the one to Girona.”
The Catalan giants have started their LaLiga title defence in style, having scored 16 times (joint most with Girona in the league), but Xavi admitted he still wants to improve in attacking areas.
He said: “We are competing well, and in general we’re playing good football. But I’d still like to see more mobility from my forwards and we need to attack spaces better.
“We can get so much more out of this attack, they need to work more on their positioning. But even though we had a bad game against Celta, we are on the right track.
“One of the best things about this squad is its versatility. We have different kinds of player for different positions. Players like Sergi Roberto, Gavi, Joao Cancelo, (Ilkay) Gundogan, Joao Felix, (Jules) Kounde and (Ronald) Araujo who can adapt so well.”
Massimiliano Allegri wants immediate response from ‘angry’ Juve to shock defeat
Massimiliano Allegri has called on his “angry” Juventus squad to return to winning ways when they host high-flying Lecce.
Juventus missed the chance to go top of Serie A on Saturday after they slumped to a surprise 4-2 defeat at Sassuolo.
The Bianconeri had claimed 10 points from an unbeaten start, but came unstuck at the Mapei Stadium as Sassuolo battled to a second league win.
“Tomorrow we have to get back to winning ways to immediately move on from the bad loss to Sassuolo,” said Allegri.
“The team are angry and sorry for what happened, but at the same time they’re motivated. There’s a real desire to get back on the pitch as soon as possible.
“We had a bad night, we made mistakes that allowed our opponents to win the game, but we didn’t play badly.
“We didn’t defend well, and individual mistakes cost us. I hope the home support will give us that extra boost against Lecce. We need to have the right attitude, be proactive and, above all, positive. It will be so important to get three points.”
Third-placed Lecce will head to the Allianz Stadium unbeaten from their opening five league fixtures following three wins and two draws.
They sit one point ahead of Juventus, and four back from leaders Inter Milan, who have enjoyed a perfect start to the season.
“Lecce are a solid team, and they’re excellently coached by Roberto D’Aversa,” added Allegri.
“They’re a technical side and it’s not a coincidence that they’re still unbeaten. (Director of football) Pantaleo Corvino has put together a very competitive squad, and even last year too. It will be a good game.”
Sarina Wiegman says England clash with her native Netherlands ‘very special’
England boss Sarina Wiegman admits it will be “very special” when her side take on her native Netherlands in Tuesday’s Nations League contest in Utrecht.
Wiegman played for the Dutch national team before overseeing their Euro 2017 win on home soil and finishing as runners-up at the 2019 World Cup in France.
The 53-year-old, who has subsequently matched those managerial achievements with England, told a press conference that being back in her home country with the Lionesses was “very nice, a little bit strange too – of course I have some memories here”.
She added: “I’m really looking forward to tomorrow. It’s just very special to be here and to play the opponents.
“Of course we know each other really well, I know the staff, most of the staff didn’t change that much, or the players. Lots of people will be in the stands that I know.”
The match is England’s second in Group A1 after they beat Scotland 2-1 in Sunderland on Friday, when the Netherlands opened their campaign with a 2-1 loss away to Belgium.
Wiegman said: “We had a good review on the (Scotland) match.
“We want to do a couple of things a little better, and keep doing the things that we did really well, bring that to the next level too – that’s what we talked about, and then tomorrow we go again.
“I think if you look at the stats against Belgium they (the Netherlands) had pretty good stats. You see how the game developed and they were a little bit unlucky, and Belgium took advantage of that.
“Of course they want to do well because their goal also is to come first in the group, so with the first loss they really want to do well tomorrow and have a good result. That is what we expect.”
The Nations League offers two qualification places for the Paris 2024 Olympics, with England the nominated home nations team aiming to secure a spot for Great Britain.
To do that they will need to win their group to advance to the Nations League’s last four, and then reach the final, or come third should France make the final.
Wiegman said she had every member of her squad available for Tuesday’s game, including Alessia Russo, who sat out the Scotland contest – she had joined the group later than others following some recuperation, having played in Champions League qualifying matches for Arsenal earlier this month.
Wiegman was joined at the press conference by Russo’s fellow forward Lauren Hemp, scorer of England’s second goal against Scotland.
The 23-year-old Manchester City player said of the Dutchwoman: “Sarina is a fantastic coach. Ever since she got the job I feel like she’s taken this team to a whole new level, and for me personally I’m learning every single day.
“I feel like I’m getting so much better and feeling so much more confident as the days go by under Sarina. She’s unbelievable.”
Meanwhile, Wiegman has paid tribute to Megan Rapinoe after the two-time World Cup winner, who has been an influential figure in the women’s game both on and off the pitch, played her final game for the United States before retirement, a 2-0 win over South Africa.
Wiegman said of Rapinoe’s legacy: “I think she is one of the most important players. I think the US were the trailblazers in women’s football, and also (for) the position of women in society.
“I think we should be all very thankful for what she leaves behind. I have so much respect for her.”
Of her own players driving change, she added: “I think this group of women are very conscious of society too and using the platform in a positive way to change society.
“They are so outspoken and well spoken, they articulate themselves so well.”
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