Go back 15 years and Jose Mourinho’s first trophy in English football was also Frank Lampard’s. The Portuguese was sent to the stands but his Chelsea side overcame Liverpool in the 2005 League Cup final. Both know one honour can lead to many more. Both know their significance now.
Lampard lost an FA Cup final eight weeks ago but became only the second manager in the Roman Abramovich era to survive a season without silverware.
The first, in 2014, was his mentor. But Mourinho has a joint record four League Cups and his past offers him an argument that he can succeed at a club where Mauricio Pochettino failed, by ending Spurs’ 12-year wait.
“Tottenham is not going to be my only club without silverware,” he said in March. “I won it at every club and I believe I am going to do it also with Tottenham.”
Now each stands in the other’s way. Old allies were good for each other: Lampard finished second in the Ballon d’Or voting under Mourinho.
The Portuguese described his former vice-captain in the All or Nothing documentary as the best professional he had ever worked with.
Despite that, they feel less close now. Lampard’s football is less influenced by Mourinho than might have been expected; he is yet to establish a similar reputation as a defensive strategist.
The relative rarities, games where they defended brilliantly, were when supposed apprentice bested master as Chelsea beat Tottenham twice last season. Lampard's sole away clean sheet in the Premier League came at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
But three more goals were conceded in embarrassing fashion at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday. “We are in a process, we have to fight through it,” said Lampard. “Every game is an opportunity to improve.”
That improvement could come from arrivals and Lampard may unveil his new-look defence, the first he has been able to recruit, on Tuesday. There could be a debut for his £22 million ($28m) goalkeeper and a first start for his new £50m left-back.
“Edouard Mendy and Ben Chilwell are in the squad,” Lampard reported. That Willy Caballero was beaten by all three shots on target on Saturday and Marcos Alonso was at fault for two goals underlined the need for both.
"They were clear individual mistakes, you can't hide from them," Lampard said.
“The players held their hands up.” Yet individual errors have been a recurring theme in his reign. Newer individuals are expected to be more flawless. Lampard described Mendy as “A good goalkeeper. He has settled in very well. It's competition.”
In reality, Chelsea do not require competition as much as a reliable regular. It is what Kepa Arrizabalaga was supposed to be but Lampard denied that, after a traumatic time, the world’s most expensive goalkeeper has played his final game for Chelsea.
“He is a young man. A lot of the spotlight on him has become unfair," he said. “I have to protect him because he is a good lad trying to do his best.”
Similarly, he played down suggestions that Antonio Rudiger, who has not even made the bench in the last three games, will leave. “I wouldn't assume anything,” he said.
Callum Hudson-Odoi’s scoring cameo at the Hawthorns increased the chance he will stay and, with Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech still out, he could start on Tuesday night.
Mourinho’s team is likely to be weaker. He regularly complains about a crowded fixture list and Tottenham face Maccabi Haifa on Thursday. Mourinho suggested he will sacrifice this competition.
“I would like to fight for the Carabao but I don’t think I can. A game on Thursday that decides a very important thing for us, I think the EFL made a decision for us.”
