It was a couple of years ago now, and Chelsea fans were far more preoccupied with Maurizio Sarri at the time, but the Championship drama between Frank Lampard and Marcelo Bielsa still lives on.
The Leeds manager was caught sending an observer to gather information about Frank Lampard’s training sessions while he was Derby boss, leading to a “spygate” affair that dominated the back pages and lived on to their clash in the playoffs.
Now Bielsa is a Premier League manager and Lampard is managing Chelsea, but ahead of their hotly anticipated game, it was inevitable it would be mentioned.
Lampard on Bielsa Spygate 'rivalry': "It is in the past. I am not going to dwell on it going into this game. I would rather dwell on him as a coach. It was a great story at the time."
"It is long gone and I respect him and Leeds." #CFC #LUFC
— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) December 4, 2020
As you can see in the quotes above from the presser this afternoon, Lampard tried to brush it off, saying “it is in the past” and pointing out the admiration he has for Bielsa and Leeds. “I respect him”, he asserted.
Something tells us the fans won’t have forgotten – that trip to Elland Road later in the year could get tasty if there are fans in the stands by then.
