Derby County manager Frank Lampard has said that the defeat to Aston Villa was a ‘wake up’ call for the team. The Rams had come into the game on the back of a six-match unbeaten run in the Championship but they were simply outclassed by Aston Villa, who picked up a comfortable 3-0 win at the Pride Park Stadium.

Speaking after the match, Lampard appeared to suggest that the Villains had come with the better ambition in the game and his side cannot take any team for granted with the immense competition in the Championship, he said: “That if you come up against a team who can run further than you and have a desire maybe to run a little bit further on the day, for whatever reason, then you are going to struggle.

Frank Lampard has made a fantastic start to his Derby County career and, so far, based on what we have seen from his team, they look more than capable of making a big push for promotion. Derby have been hovering around the promotion places for a number of seasons but never had the last push in them to get over the line. Lampard appears to have installed belief in this team, and that may be the last little push they need to get over the line.

One thing Frank Lampard has done very well so far during his short time as manager is to get people onside. The club have shown what Lampard is doing behind the scenes, and everything has been positive. Of course, he will face tough moments at some point this season, but the positivity and the belief around the squad has been fantastic to see, and Lampard is the man behind all that.

Derby County midfielder Mason Mount has emerged as the next potential big thing for the England national team after coming up with stellar performances in the Championship. The 19-year-old has been called up for the England side, which will take on Croatia and Spain in the UEFA Nations League. The midfielder has come up with a string of excellent performances of late. He is on loan at Derby County after making the switch from Chelsea. He is regarded in high esteem by England manager Gareth Southgate.

Last season, the midfielder spent time on loan at Vitesse Arnhem. His introduction to English football has witnessed a strong surge of goals even from midfield. The 19-year-old is already up to five goals for Derby this season and this has already earned him comparisons with Lampard, who was a great goalscoring midfielder during his playing days. Lampard now, believes that Mount has more than enough ability to feature in the England squad for years to come. Lampard has even challenged the youngster to go and beat his tally of 106 caps for the national team. Mount is that he is extremely glad to have received a lot of advice from the midfielder who has won everything in the game – including the Champions League.

Derby County manager Frank Lampard has praised the qualities of teenage midfielder Mason Mount. The 19-year-old is presently on a season-long loan from Premier League side Chelsea and he has excelled during the initial phase of the Championship with two goals and an assist from eight matches.

Speaking after Derby’s goalless draw against Blackburn, Lampard has been impressed with the all-round qualities of the midfielder, who spent the previous campaign on loan with Vitesse Arnhem. He added that the teenager is ready to make the step up to the England senior side, though the decision is left for Gareth Southgate to make.

Derby County manager Frank Lampard has heaped praise on David Nugent after the Englishman stood out during the club’s pre-season program. The 33-year-old has shown exceptional form since returning from the season-break and he contributed a goal and an assist during the recent 2-1 triumph over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Pride Park.

Speaking after the Wolves game, Lampard was full of praise for the former Leicester City man and was pleased that the veteran lead by example up front, he said: “David Nugent pre-season, wow! From the moment that we came in we have been amazed at his work rate in training every day, the smile on his face and his professionalism.He has been incredible in terms of running the line and every day in training he is the same.You almost want to tell him to slow down sometimes, because he will chase everything.You need somebody like that up there.”

Derby County manager Frank Lampard has revealed his delight after the club secured the signings of Mason and Harry Wilson from Chelsea and Liverpool respectively. The duo have joined the Rams on season-long loan deals for the campaign and Lampard has hailed their characters ahead of the 2018/19 season.

Speaking to the club’s official website, he said: “Two players that I’ve chased because I know the qualities they have. I know Mason first hand from Chelsea and Jody (Morris) worked closely with him in the Chelsea youth team. Followed him there and to Vitesse last season, where he had a fantastic season. Creative, plays from central midfield, an attacking sense, full of energy and scores and create goals.Harry, everyone saw what he did last season with Hull in the Championship. Both of them great characters and I think they are both going to bring so much to us hopefully.”

Derby County manager Frank Lampard has highlighted his ambition to keep hold of Matej Vydra amid the speculation surrounding the Czech international. The 26-year-old was the Ram’s highest scorer last season with 21 goals in the Championship and Lampard is eager for the player for the stay put beyond the summer.

Speaking to BBC Sport, he said: “There is a lot of speculation but he is still our player.We will see, but while he performs as well as he did last year, with the level of goals, I expect him to stay.” Meanwhile, Lampard confirmed that Vydra would play no part against Notts County in the maiden pre-season game after failing to recover from a groin problem, he added:“Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to train with us. But he should be integrating back with the squad next week and then I will look at him. He is a top-quality player, without a doubt, and if he is here then that's great for us.”

Frank Lampard has stressed that Derby County will be aiming for promotion during his maiden season in management. The Chelsea great was handed the head coach position at the end of the previous month and he has since been away on media duties for the ongoing World Cup finals in Russia.

Despite this, Lampard is quite clear about his ambition for next season and he is hoping to guide the club to promotion at the first time of asking. He told The Derby Telegraph: “From the first day of pre-season, my aim when I talk to the squad is that we want to be successful, and that means promotion. I am not saying we will get there, but it has to be the aim at the start of the season. I’m here to succeed and be competitive, that’s something I’ve had in my career, fortunately, from being in very strong teams. At the start of the season, our aim was always to be the best we can be. Normally, that was winning titles.”

Chelsea favourite Frank Lampard has backed Mikel Arteta to make an impression, should he be appointed as Arsenal’s next manager. The Spaniard is currently the leading candidate to succeed Arsene Wenger as the Gunners head coach despite having no managerial experience, barring his short time at Manchester City where he has acted as an assistant coach.

As such, there has been mixed reactions among the Gunners’ faithful, though Lampard is said to favour the prospective deal. “It is always encouraging to see a club give a young, up-and-coming coach a chance and Arteta has got what it takes to do a fine job,” he wrote in his Evening Standard column this week. “Some will question his experience but he knows Arsenal very well from his time there as a player, while he is an intelligent man with a huge interest in tactics. He has worked under Pep Guardiola as his assistant for the last two years and that cannot be underestimated. He will have learnt so much.”

Chelsea favourite Frank Lampard believes Liverpool have been by far the most impressive team in the Champions League this season. The Merseyside giants booked their place in the final of the competition against Real Madrid on Wednesday night after they beat AS Roma by a 7-6 scoreline across both legs.

During the game, Lampard spoke positively about the Reds on BT Sport, saying: “This Liverpool team in this competition, progressively so as it’s gone on more and more, they’ve found a way to really produce. No one can handle them so far.They’ve defended tight as a unit, they attack with blistering pace and support each other in attack.There’s no team that has matched them so far. If they keep that momentum, they’ve got every chance.They’ve played differently to everyone in Europe this year.”