Frank Lampard Maybe A Legend At Chelsea But Not Indispensable
There is no doubt about Frank Lampard’s commitment to Chelsea over a period of ten years with the club. While commitment and loyalty to your club is admirable especially in an age where players have become mercenaries. But such attributes are not enough to guarantee a player a starting player on a team. There is no denying Lampard has been reliable and continues to deliver whenever given the opportunity to the extent that Jose Mourinho considered him an untouchable during his reign.
But the hard truth is that Lampard while technically sound is not the most naturally talented attacking midfielder and has gotten a bit sluggish with age. This is a fact the English club fails to acknowledge and continue to campaign for Lampard to start every game for Chelsea. May I remind the experts and pundits that not all players are suited for every strategy and tactical approach.
A coach for the good of the team from time to time would change players for a specific technical approach for a particular game. Not to mention that a player’s form also determines whether or not he features into a coach’s plans. It is in this context that Frank Lampard has been coming off the bench under AVB, and the British press is being disingenuous about it, to say the least.
When AVB left out Lampard in Chelsea’s must win Champions League game against Valencia, the British press were eagerly waiting to pounce on the coach had that decision backfired. But the critics were silenced as AVB’s decision was spot on. Although Lampard came on to convert the winning penalty against City after coming off the bench to resurrect Chelsea’s title chase, no matter how vintage that performance was, should not make him indispensable. Yes, he is a quality player who delivers when the pressure is on especially from the penalty spot, however, that should not make any special than the player who earned the call.
The British press with its their blind patriotism, is notorious for inflating the egos of their ‘homegrown” stars. For an ambitious team as Chelsea to contest for glory in all competitions – Premier League, FA Cup, and the holy grail – Champions League – a coach has to be able to manage his big stars and get the best out of each talent at his disposal.
In a case in point is Pep Guardiola, starting Sanchez over David Villa in the first Clasico which paid off. Professional football players are suppose to understand that they are as good as their team mates and while they all want to play, the coach can only field eleven players to start a game. Instead of complaining when they are not starting games and campaigning through the press to be recalled into the starting eleven as Lampard did, should learn to respect the coach’s decisions and choices.
With the exception of expensive bench warmers like Torres, a quality player is still an asset to the team whether as a starter or a substitute. Ryan Giggs may not start every game for Man Utd but no one can dispute his quality and importance to the Red Devils when called upon. Ironically, when Rooney is benched, the press view that as “technical approach” but not starting homegrown favorite Lampard is a reason fro the press to gripe.
Enabled by the press, Lampard talked his way into the starting line-up against Wigan. This time, he did not have the opportunity to take another decisive spot kick and so in the end he had no impact as Chelsea dropped points in the 1-1 draw. AVB kowtowing to pressure took off Romeu leaving Lampard and Meireles in a two-man midfield in that game. Let’s face it, Lampard is potent offensive threat but a liability defensively. By leaving the offensively effective Lampard in a two-man midfield, Chelsea ceded their early domination to Wigan. Lampard is at his best when others do the mopping and all he has to do is make incisive runs into spaces and look for opportunities to pounce. With no Essien, Ramires, Mikel, or Romeu to do the “dirty work” Lampard, in my view, is liability in midfield.
That’s my Pesewa! Have your say . . .
