EPL Talk » Frank Lampard

Does Chelsea have a Frank Lampard problem?

Sebastian Shepard — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:48:03 +0000

After 10 games, one might think that Frank Lampard, the engine and inspiration behind most of Chelsea’s offensive production over the past 5 seasons, has run into a torrid patch of form. This is mostly due to his low goal return – one in the Premiership and one in the Community Shield. Most fans expect 3 or 4 goals by now, especially against the relatively weak opposition that Chelsea have faced thus far in the Champions League and EPL.

But before we condemn Frank Lampard, let’s wind back our memories to the summer of Real Madrid spending. Carlo Ancelotti arrived and sought Andrea Pirlo to be the visionary passer in his midfield diamond. The Italian didn’t arrive, and nobody filled his role. According to some.

According to me, Lampard is now positioned as an advanced Pirlo (who doesn’t score a tremendous amount of goals, but is the offensive heartbeat of AC Milan). The goal drought is more due to formation and position rather than a failure of Lampard’s or bad form.

In Mourinho’s 4-3-3, the wingers knew they couldn’t only rely on crosses to Drogba and cutting inside to take the occasional shot to win games. Enter Lampard. He excelled at arriving and providing a lethal 3rd option. Thus the 20-goal seasons.

Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea plays a midfield diamond, with Lampard supposedly at the top. But he lacks the right qualities to fill this role and has dropped a little deeper than players who naturally can fill this role like Kaka. Nonetheless Chelsea play the diamond.

The change in formation requires less goal return from the midfield because two strikers lurking in the box will both score more goals and require service. Both of these will drain the midfield of its goals, but not its productivity.

Frank Lampard already has four EPL assists in 7 games. Last season he recorded 10 in 37 games. One could argue that Lampard has adopted a Pirlo mindset, but not quite his position. As he fans out dangerous passes to the in-form Malouda, Anelka, and Drogba while staying a little deeper, Lampard is actively contributing to Chelsea’s good start to the season. For this, he is labeled as out of form.

Granted, his finishing has suffered under Ancelotti. He seems to be missing chances that three or four years ago, he would bury ten times a season. Perhaps he is uncomfortable in his new semi-trequartista, semi-Pirlo position. In any case, I’m not sure Chelsea fans have a great cause to be worried. The system seems to be working for the rest of the team, and even if Lampard won’t get his 20 goals, he’ll rack up many more assists. If the sort-of-diamond can bring back the silverware of the EPL title or the Champions League, even Lampard won’t complain.

The First Title Clash: Chelsea vs. Liverpool

Adam Mikhail — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:08:24 +0000

On Sunday at 11:00 AM, the Premier League will be treated to its first significant title clash when Liverpool take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Indulge me while I set the scene for the match. Chelsea and Liverpool have met 4 times or more for the past five years and until quite recently, the matches have been as dull as a Pompey shooting session. They will meet at Stamford Bridge where Liverpool ended Chelsea’s historic unbeaten run in the same fixture last season. The match will be just months after Chelsea emphatically eliminated Liverpool from the Champions League. There will be plenty of revenge for both teams and it has the potential to be make-or-break for both Ancelotti’s Chelsea and Benitez’s Liverpool.

Some of the readers will immediately bring up that I’m ignoring the United-Arsenal match as a title clash. No disrespect to Arsenal(who I now have a soft spot for after Adebayor proved to be a childish, hypocritical, drama-queen) but most of us never thought Arsenal had a chance of winning the Premier League. Not to say they are out of it – I’m sure an Arsenal fan will quickly note they have just as many losses as Liverpool – but it’s just my opinion. You may say I’m simply alienating Arsenal so I can create a post with the title, “The First Title Clash,” and I would tell you: you’re right.

Chelsea sit second in the table with Manchester United on top only by goal difference. Liverpool, in third place, top the mini-league of 15 pointers with their impressive goal difference. A Liverpool victory would see last season’s table take shape as they would leap-frog Chelsea. You know, my inner Chelsea fan is always optimistic that when we play Liverpool we’ll win and it will be exciting. In the Premier League, I’ve been disappointed on both fronts. Going through last few years it’s hard to remember a genuinely exciting match between the two. None were more boring than the 0-0 at Stamford Bridge in 2008, perhaps in the history of football. That’s okay though because they made up for it in the Champions League. My optimism for a Chelsea victory would be much greater had last week not occurred. Not only did Chelsea lose to Wigan, Liverpool proved to me that they are the best offense in the league, without a doubt. It should also be noted that Chelsea have failed to beat Liverpool in the Premier League since 2006.

It’s really a strange thing though. Chelsea-Liverpool matches have been the cagiest affairs of all big-four match-ups but still Chelsea and Liverpool fans really hold some sort of false hope that, “this time will be different.” It’s like Spurs thinking they’re going to make the top four every year. We all know how that one ends. Some small hope I can look to is the possibility that Liverpool lost their ability to kill entertainment when they sold Alonso. Surely Lucas cannot complement Mascherano as well as Alonso did. The Mascherano-Alonso tag team could commit 20 fouls a game and not see a card between them. Lucas is far too sloppy and obtuse to perform that feat with the grace of Alonso. If they try, one of the two will probably be sent off. That’s just wishful thinking, however. Knowing the Premier League, Lampard will himself be fouled and receive a red card(not a reference from last year, nope).

My humble prediction is a 1-1 with a great atmosphere and three games worth of crunching tackles. Torres will probably score, he always does against Chelsea. It was all downhill after he turned that buffoon Ben-Haim inside out a couple seasons ago.

How Important Has Foreign Influence Been On The English Premiership?

Rami Soufi — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 06:21:27 +0000

The influence of foreigners on football in England cannot be underestimated. While Coach Fabio Capello has guided England through the qualifiers and instilled a winning mentality amongst the players, the skills of English players such as Wayne Rooney and the presence of leaders like John Terry must also be credited with the change in England’s fortunes. It could very well be a combination of Don Fabio’s managerial skills, the quality of the players at his disposal and the maturity of certain players. The time is ripe for the likes of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard to deliver for England.

On the club level, the English Premiership has in excess of 330 foreign players representing over 60 countries while the English makeup less than half of the league’s total eligible players. The contribution of non-English footballers has been enormous with Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, Gianfranco Zola, Didier Drogba, and Fernando Torres, just to name a few, all providing the fans in England with numerous highlights. While such classy players brought flair and showmanship to the game, the core values of the English game, in particular hard work, drive and commitment to the team, the fanatical support of the fans and their dedication to their clubs, have all meshed well together to transform the English clubs into perennial challengers on the European front. Manchester United lifted the Champions League twice since 1999 while Liverpool won it once with a further appearance in the final (both Arsenal and Chelsea also made it to the final in recent years). The positive displays and achievements in Europe are a sign of the new heights reached by football clubs in England to the pleasure of local fans.

Off the pitch, foreign owners have invested heavily in English clubs with Manchester City and Chelsea the leading example of the exuberant funding provided by some of those tycoons. Roman Abramovich has spent a fortune to turn Chelsea into a contender and helped the London outfit win the league title for the first time in several decades while the past several months have seen extravagant sums paid by Manchester City’s owner Dr. Al-Fahim. Foreign ownership extends beyond those two clubs to include Liverpool and Manchester United among others.

The foreign element has brought the skills of talented footballers to England and provided some clubs with massive funding while putting to good use the core characteristics of football culture in England, basically the loyalty and fervent support of English fans, the unrefined and raw talent along with the fighting spirit of English players. Simply put, diverse talent from around the world has been “coming home” to football’s motherland to provide high quality entertainment.

The English game had the fundamental ingredients needed to move forward and was only missing a key component to become a successful recipe. With the combination of local flavor and foreign infusion, the elements of success have finally aligned together. England’s Premiership has overtaken Italy’s Serie A in many ways according to well-respected critics, and that certainly is no easy feat considering the quality of Italian clubs just a few years ago.

Diamonds Are Back In Fashion At Stamford Bridge

Paul Bestall — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:49:55 +0000

Carlo Ancelotti has certainly stamped his mark on Chelsea early in the season so far. A Community Shield victory, coupled with 3 Premiership wins on the bounce has seen Chelsea rise to the top end of the table. So far, so what then? Nothing surprising in that in itself, would we expect the any of the big four to not already be putting markers down for the early running. What did make me sit up and take notice was Michael Essien being placed on the bench so early.

Ancelotti said after yesterdays game that he wanted to rest Essien as he was tired after his efforts in the midweek win at Sunderland. Two weeks in to the season and rotation is already being seen in Chelsea’s team selection. In the two games since the opening day win against Hull, Ancelotti has changed 4 players in both starting line-ups, with only 6 players starting all 3 games.

Cech, Cole, Boswinga, Terry, Lampard and Drogba are the the six in question with only Lampard retaining his place in Ancelotti’s much discussed midfield diamond formation. Perhaps this is the managers way of dealing with the fragile ego’s that modern footballers display on a daily basis by showing that match time is available to as many of the players as possible. Yet, Lampard has been moved around the midfield diamond, starting on the right against Hull, on the left hand side against Sunderland and then at the forward point against Fulham.

Against Fulham, Lampard was consistently further forward throughout the game than I’d seen in a long time. Whilst there is no doubt that Lampard remains the most potent and consistent attacking midfielder in the Premiership, his position often saw him playing alongside Drogba and Anelka at Craven Cottage.I’ve only ever seen him playing so offensively in cup matches against lower league opposition but Fulham never got to grips with Lampard positioning. Chelsea’s were then able to control the ball and Fulham never looked likely to stop the flow through to the strikers.

Perhaps this is a part of the new midfield system that Ancelotti is trying to instill into the Chelsea midfield. By rotating the starting positions of the midfield, especially with such experienced international players keeps their opponents guessing. It seems designed to confuse teams that will be looking to specify defensive midfielders to do a man marking job on Lampard. Clever players can always cope with these systems, that seem to allow the midfield to rotate fluidly throughout the match.

It’s certainly given Chelsea a little bit more mystery when they play. Against Sunderland, they were constantly breaking in waves, pouring forward from the midfield but seemingly taking turns to lead the charge. Deco would go, then Ballack, then Lampard, occasionally Essien would burst forward confusing the opponents even more. Perhaps he’s already trying to work out how things will shape up when the African Cup Of Nations kicks off in January.

I’ve been very impressed with Ancelotti’s work so far, but the first real test will in October when the Blues entertain Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.Once we see this fluid diamond formation come up against top class midfielders trying to dismantle it, it will interesting to see if still works as well.

FA Cup Final Live Blog: Everton v Chelsea

Michael Scallon — Fri, 29 May 2009 18:19:26 +0000

The last dance of the season, of every season, the FA Cup Final is the jewel in the English Football Crown. Last year’s final between Cardiff and Portsmouth was arguably the exception, but this year’s certainly isn’t:

Underdogs Everton come into the final for the first time in 14 years, since Joe Royle’s infamous ‘dogs of war’ – led by the terrifying Duncan Ferguson – beat Manchester United in a final that was described by many as “rubbish”. This is David Moyes’ first appearance in an English FA Cup Final, as either a player or manger, but with the experienced Phil Neville leading the side, there is no shortage of big match experience. Neville himself is going for his fourth FA Cup triumph, after wins in 1996, 1999 and 2004 with Manchester United. A crucial penalty in the semi final against his former club, he says, was the first time that he really ”felt like an Everton player” despite being captain for two years. Hmmm. Unfortunately, talented centre half Phil Jagielka misses out on the Wembley showpiece with a knee injury sustained in a game against Manchester City on 25th April. Nigerian Joseph Yobo is likely to take his place in the back four.

Favourites Chelsea bid a fond farewell to Guus Hiddink on Saturday, after the dutchman guided the Blues to third position in the league and a European Cup semi final, as well as tomorrow’s FA Cup Final. Midfield maestro Frank Lampard has been passed fit to play as Chelsea are bidding to add to their FA Cup haul of four, the last of those being in 2007, where a Didier Drogba goal in extra time saw off league champions Manchester United. Like Moyes, this is Hiddink’s first taste of an English FA Cup Final, but as a European Cup winner with PSV in 1988, he is no stranger to success and the battle of wits between the Scot and the Dutchman could be where this game could be decided.

You better add this to your favourites before you go to bed because it’s an early start American viewers, so bring your coffee and join me at around 9.30 EDT (2.30pm GMT, so not that early my fellow Brits) for this season’s denouement. Should be a good one. Maybe. Click Here for the live blog.

Editor’s Note: During the FA Cup Final live blog/chat experience on EPL Talk today, host Michael Scallon will be awarding an official EPL Talk T-Shirt to one lucky winner. Log in to find out how to win.