http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Frank-Lampard-c14097– a perfect fit for Chelsea: English Premier League (Part 1)
In the summer transfer window, Chelsea have been quiet so far. They have been steadily going about their business but only recently it was revealed that the Blues’ 22 million pound bid for Luka Modric was rejected by Tottenham Hotspur. This rejected has prompted a lot of views in the British media but there is no disputing the belief that Modric will greatly improve Chelsea’s squad. The Croatian midfielder has been linked to a move away from White Hart Lane and Chelsea as well as Manchester United are both interested in securing the playmakers services.
But an important question now arises in this transfer saga as to whether or not Chelsea need a player like Modric or not. This question cannot be answered without reviewing Frank Lampard’s display over the past three season for the London club and the fact that the Englishman is aging. Roman Abramovich invested over 70 million pounds in the January transfer window in Chelsea’s squad when Carlo Ancelotti went out and bought http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Liverpool-c39809 for a whopping 55 million pounds.
Abramovich and Ancelotti both were worried about the lack of strike power at Chelsea but their assumptions were wrong. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786 were well settled in the offensive department it was indeed their midfielder that was punching below its weight. In the 2010-2011 season eventually finished nine points behind Manchester United in the second place level on points with Manchester City. It was a moment of realization at Stamford Bridge, that the club’s squad needed improvement. In terms of improvement invested is now needed in the midfield section where Frank Lampard’s influence has deteriorated over the past three seasons.
Lampard was the main catalyst in the Chelsea midfield over the past seven to six years starting from the Jose Mourinho era were Frank was the main man in the midfield area for the Blues. Despite the arrival of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Deco-c10735 and Ballack later on, Lampard remained the main driving force for Chelsea as they marched onto a UEFA Champions League final along with three English Premier League titles. During this time Chelsea also won two F.A Cups but now a change of guard is needed in the creative midfield role.
Lampard needs a playmaker alongside him to give him the freedom to roam forwards. This role of a disguised playmaker was performed by http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Michael-Essien-c25294.
This allowed Lampard to make his characteristic late runs into the opposition’s penalty area. In the 2008-2009 season, the former West Ham player played 37 matches for Chelsea in the English Premier League but only contributed with 12 goals and 10 assists. This tally improved in the 2009-2010 Premier League title winning season for Chelsea when Frank played in 36 matches and contributed with 22 goals and 17 assists.
However his influence diminished in the 2010-2011 season when Lampard played only 24 times for Chelsea in the Premier League. In the 2010-2011 Premier League season when Manchester United piped Chelsea to the title, it was evident that Lampard was misfiring as he scored 10 assisted four goals.
To be continued in part 2...
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