Lampard, Mourinho, Conte: Who is Chelsea's most successful Premier League manager?

The pressure on Frank Lampard tightened on Sunday afternoon during Chelsea's humbling 3-1 Premier League defeat against Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola's side arrived at Stamford Bridge with eight players ruled out having tested positive for coronavirus, but that did not prevent them from running riot in a pulsating first-half.

City led 3-0 at the break and cruised to an eventual 3-1 win, with Callum Hudson-Odoi netting a consolation goal in injury time.

Lampard has recorded just one win in six league games and his job security is beginning to come under threat in light of the Blues' recent form.

Indeed, a recent report from The Athletic claims that Chelsea have already begun to explore alternative options in the midst of this tepid run of form, and are considering replacing Lampard if this run continues.

In order to underline Lampard's predicament, the same report outlines where Lampard's points-per-game return ranks among the 16 Chelsea managers who have taken charge of the club for 20 or more Premier League matches.

With Lampard languishing down in 13th place, the 42-year-old now has the worst record of any manager in the Roman Abramovich era.

Here's how the Chelsea managers rank in terms of PPG in the Premier League...

16. Glenn Hoddle (1.27 points per game)

During his three-year spell between 1993 and 1996, Chelsea's second manager of the Premier League era finishes bottom of the pile.

Glenn Hoddle has a win ratio of just 31% from 122 games in charge, though his stint predated the free-spending Abramovich's arrival.

15. Ian Porterfield (1.28)

Another who took charge of Chelsea before their injection of foreign investment, Ian Porterfield fared better than Hoddle by the most slender of margins in his 29 games in charge.

14. Ruud Gullit (1.65)

Ruud Gullit opens up a sizable gap between 15th and 14th place with a return of 1.65 PPG.

He boasts a 48% win percentage from 63 games, which is just eight more fixtures than Lampard has overseen.

13. Frank Lampard (1.67)

Lampard's place in the ranking makes for grim viewing for the current boss.

Given Abramovich's eagerness to pull the trigger at the earliest available opportunity, there's no doubt the up-and-coming coach is in serious trouble.

12. Andre Villas-Boas (1.7)

Andre Villas-Boas appeared to have all the makings of an excellent long-term Chelsea manager.

A suave, sophisticated head coach with a seemingly fresh and exciting philosophy to install in English football, Villas-Boas flattered to deceive and only managed 27 games in charge.

11. Gianluca Vialli (1.74)

Gianluca Vialli was in charge of Chelsea at the turn of the millennium and recorded 1.74 PPG before he departed in September 2000.

10. Claudio Ranieri (1.82)

One of a multitude of Italian managers on this list, Claudio Ranieri has overseen the second-highest number of games in the history of Chelsea's Premier League managers.

Only Jose Mourinho has taken charge of more.

9. Roberto Di Matteo (1.83)

No manager on this list has taken charge of fewer league fixtures (23) than Roberto Di Matteo, yet he is the only one to have lifted a Champions League trophy.

8. Maurizio Sarri (1.89)

Much was expected of the former banker upon his arrival at Chelsea, though Maurizio Sarri did lift a Europa League trophy following the conclusion of a league campaign in which he led his side to a respectable 3rd place finish.

7. Guus Hiddink (1.94)

With Chelsea sinking towards the most unlikely of relegation scraps following a cataclysmic opening to the season under Mourinho, Guus Hiddink steadied the sinking ship and steered the title holders to a 10th place finish during his second spell in charge between December 2015 and June 2016.

He picked up 2.41 points-per-game across all competitions during his first and most successful spell between February and June 2009.

6. Felipe Scolari (1.96)

Despite boasting a 56% win percentage, Felipe Scolari still managed to get sacked from his job after just 25 league games.

A concerning omen for Lampard, perhaps.

5. Rafael Benitez (1.96)

Rafael Benitez has an almost identical record to Scolari having managed just one game more.

Their respective PPG ratios are the same but the Spaniard boasts a slightly superior win percentage (58%).

4. Carlo Ancelotti (2.07)

Welcome to the big leagues.

Any manager with a PPG return above 2 is bound to command almost universal respect, and Carlo Ancelotti certainly falls into that category.

3. Antonio Conte (2.14)

The wildly gesticulating, tactical revolutionary that is Antonio Conte is one of the best to ever grace the Chelsea dugout.

His emphasis on solidity and iconic 3-4-2-1 formation enabled him to boast a 67% win ratio during his 76 league games in charge.

2. Jose Mourinho (2.19)

Jose Mourinho has managed a whopping total of 212 Premier League games at Chelsea, more than any other manager in the club's history, but finds himself short of top spot here.

If we've learnt anything from Mourinho there's no doubt that it'll irk him to be in second place.

The Portuguese's win percentage is also marginally less than Conte's at 66%, but he'll still go down as one of the best, if not the best, in Chelsea's history despite the acrimony surrounding his second departure and his subsequent decision to take the reins at Spurs.

1. Avram Grant (2.31)