Lampard's ruthless streak comes from Mourinho's early days at Chelsea, says Cascarino

Frank Lampard's "ruthless" streak in the dugout comes from Jose Mourinho's early days at Chelsea, according to Tony Cascarino.

Chelsea legend Lampard returned to Stamford Bridge last summer after beginning his coaching career at Derby County, succeeding Maurizio Sarri in the hot seat.

He has since set about stamping his own mark on the squad while implementing a fresh attack-minded philosophy, which has included the integration of several academy prospects into the senior fold.

Lampard has been unafraid to drop household names in favour of up and coming youngsters, with the likes of Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham, Reece James and Fikayo Tomori all emerging as stars in 2019-20.

The Blues boss axed Antonio Rudiger and Marcos Alonso from his starting line up to face Watford on Saturday after the pair's disastrous showing in a defeat to West Ham three days prior, and the decision proved to be the correct one.

Chelsea secured a 3-0 victory over the Hornets to tighten their grip on fourth place, and Cascarino was impressed by Lampard's no-nonsense approach.

“What I find extraordinary about him [Lampard] is how ruthless he can be when necessary,” the former Blues striker told Talksport.

“Yesterday he pulled the plug on Marcos Alonso at left-back and played [Cesar] Azplicueta, switched him from the right to the left side. He dropped Tammy Abraham and brought in Olivier Giroud and he dropped Antonio Rudiger.”

Cascarino went on to compare Lampard's management style to Mourinho's, specifically referring to the Portuguese's first spell at Chelsea, which garnered two Premier League titles and four domestic cups.

“Sometimes you have to make call as a manager but Frank does it incredibly quickly,” he added. “There isn’t any leeway with him. If he feels something needs to be changed he does it and I do wonder if that comes from his early days with Jose [Mourinho].

“He did it regularly at Chelsea – when someone wasn’t pulling their weight he took the out the team immediately.”

Lampard will now start preparing his side for a crucial trip to Crystal Palace on Tuesday, which comes four days before a meeting with Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.