Frank Lampard and John Terry cut ties for one week only

By Brendan McLoughlin

There may not have been the regular exchange of messages or calls between Frank Lampard and John Terry this week.

Yet despite their now-differing allegiances to two rival Championship clubs with sights firmly set on promotion — not to mention the exhaustive schedules which come with their recently-acquired roles — the duo are still finding time to talk.

Stamford Bridge, where they hold legendary status, is now over 100 miles away, however both are, at present, very much at home in the Midlands as they prepare for their first dugout duel today.

Lampard’s Derby County — in the play-offs spots after 10 points from their last four matches — are fast earning a reputation for their vibrant football, with Mason Mount (absent this weekend), Tom Lawrence, and Harry Wilson the poster boys in a swashbuckling team in which their manager, appointed in the summer, would have fitted right in.

Terry, meanwhile, is only four games into his role as assistant to Dean Smith at mid-table Aston Villa, with whom he came within one game of captaining Villa to promotion back to the Premier League last season. Retirement eventually followed and now the 37-year-old has unfinished business at a club where the desperation to return to the top table is cranking up each year.

By Lampard’s own admission, the pair, who won everything there is to win during the most decorated period of Chelsea’s history, are “different personalities”.

“I think that’s why we were a decent match as captain and vice captain,” says the Rams manager, recently described by Terry as the “best” in Chelsea’s history.

Terry is a force of nature, every inch the ‘Captain, Leader, Legend’ his nickname portrays. His return has been widely welcomed at Villa, where his influence — both on and off the field — was felt in the campaign’s early months, ultimately leading to Steve Bruce’s sacking.

Terry’s philosophy is clear. Get in early — he posted a photo of a pitch-black Bodymoor Heath on social media upon arriving to his first day back — and do not wait for training to start for the work to begin. A quick glance at his Instagram account illustrates the value Terry places on time in the gym and it is surely no coincidence that is why he managed to play to the age that he did. Listen to any Lampard interview and those key messages surrounding hard work and dedication are identical.

Terry’s impact goes far beyond the physical, though.

Long before their careers were to intersect at Villa Park, after playing against Jack Grealish for the first time in a 2-0 Chelsea win at Stamford Bridge in October 15, he approached the youngster to administer a confidence-imbuing pat on the back. Grealish had never met him before.

It was a huge psychological boost and the pair struck up a close relationship upon Terry’s arrival last season. It was perhaps no coincidence Grealish produced his best form with the help of that steadying influence. One who was only too happy to impart advice, recounting stories from games such as Champions League finals where he’s experienced the highs and the lows.

It is a paternal instinct which has already extended to Villa’s academy players since his return.

“I’d have expected John would go into management — always,” Lampard adds.

“He is that type of person. Whether he expected me to go into it, I don’t know. I do feel he has the attributes to be a top boss — hard work, influencing people around him, knowing the game so well from being a centre-back at the highest level for 20 years.”

“There’s more to him than that, but in terms of the basics he has it all.”

There is, of course, his defensive nous too.

Two clean sheets in Villa’s last two home matches — they had conceded five in their previous pair of outings at B6 — point to improvement.

The form of Axel Tuanzebe, on loan from Manchester United, has markedly improved in recent weeks, while James Chester gave his best performance of the campaign against Bolton Wanderers last week, looking more like the defensive lynchpin who performed with such consistency alongside Terry last season after an uncharacteristically shaky start this term.

There is more of a subtlety to Lampard. He, no doubt, has had a similarly inspirational impact — both on players and supporters.

As one seasoned Rams observer puts it, “the place was in need of a lift”.

County, like Villa, had lost in the play-offs and, similarly there were reservations over their playing style.

While Gary Rowett’s defection to Stoke City came as a surprise, it provided an opportunity to start afresh. Lampard was something different. Unknown. Exciting.

And so it has proved. Lampard has reduced the average age of the side. His CV has earned instant respect yet,

regarded as an excellent man manager, he is immensely popular with his players. Like Terry, he is adept too on the training field, flanked by the highly-regarded Jody Morris and Chris Jones, both of whom arrived from Chelsea.

Terry will be welcomed into Lampard’s office for a glass of claret after today’s match. Their usual hotline to one another has, however, been off in recent days.

“We won’t be comparing any notes this week. I would have no problem with that normally,” Lampard says.

“We are tight, as is Jody with John. We have no issue with communicating.

“You don’t have to cut ties as friends or even to talk football with people — just because you work for different clubs. This week we’ve put it to the side, though.”

In even a short time in Lampard’s company, it is apparent how at ease he is in this new chapter in his career.

“It’s 24 hours a day,” he says. “The change from player to manager is massive — the hours, the responsibility is huge. But the fulfilment and enjoyment is as much, if not more. I don’t have too many moments to enjoy it.

“I will enjoy it when we are hopefully successful at the end of something rather than mid-season.”

It is the mentality of a serial winner. The sort both Derby and Villa can count themselves fortunate to have — and need if they are to go one better this time out.