Lampard vows not to repeat Mourinho touchline spat with Hodgson & denies Spurs boss gave him advice

John Skilbeck

Lampard vows not to repeat Mourinho touchline spat with Hodgson & denies Spurs boss gave him advice image

Frank Lampard has vowed there will no repeat of his touchline row with Jose Mourinho when he comes up against his former England boss Roy Hodgson.

Chelsea manager Lampard will pitch his side against Hodgson's Crystal Palace on Saturday in the Premier League.

That follows four days on from Chelsea's Carabao Cup penalty shoot-out defeat at Tottenham, where Lampard and Mourinho appeared to briefly fall out.

To see the pair rowing was a surprise, given Lampard enjoyed great success under Mourinho as a player with Chelsea, and both men later played down their dispute, insisting their long-standing friendship remained unaffected.

Lampard is certain he and Hodgson will keep it civil at Stamford Bridge, describing his 73-year-old rival as "a straight-down-the-line manager, person and coach".

"His career is beyond exceptional. I have so much respect for him and the way he carries himself. There won't be any touchline spat between me and Roy," Lampard said.

Mourinho claimed after the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium game that he was offering Lampard advice when the situation appeared to become heated, describing his comments as "just an opinion of an old coach to a young talented coach".

But the suggestion Mourinho was merely offering words of wisdom came as a surprise to his former midfield star.

Lampard said on Friday: "I don't think remarks on the touchline during a game can be called advice. I think he can say that after. I would always be happy to take advice from fellow managers, outside football. I think it moulds you. But I don't think the Jose incident was ever advice."

Lampard needs to keep all his focus for events on the pitch, given Chelsea's rocky start to the season.

An opening win at Brighton and Hove Albion was followed by a defeat to champions Liverpool and a 3-3 draw at West Brom last weekend, when Chelsea had to battle back from 3-0 behind.

The midweek cup exit extinguished Chelsea's trophy hopes in that competition and Lampard hopes to see his players find some consistency, starting with a win over Palace and building from there.

He said: "We want to find that feeling of winning and winning, which we're capable of. We've got new signings getting more fit and settled. I'm not concerned. We'll attack with confidence and a real desire to win."

 

John Skilbeck