Lampard can dim penalty pain

AVRAM GRANT has backed captain Frank Lampard to overcome the demons associated with his last visit to Gelsenkirchen as Chelsea look to move closer to qualifying for the Champions League knockout stages with victory over Schalke.

Lampard was among the England players who missed penalties in the World Cup quarter-final shoot-out with Portugal in the Veltins-Arena last year. He, Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard all missed their spot-kicks as England crashed out after a goalless draw.

Lampard returns to the scene tonight when he and his Chelsea team-mates will look to put themselves on the brink of qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League. Grant is convinced the midfielder has the bottle to overcome his penalty miss nightmare.

He said: “Frank has a strong character, as everybody knows. I have full confidence in him. He also missed a penalty for Chelsea this season and then scored one against Liverpool at Anfield in a very difficult moment for the team.

“It is not a problem when you have a strong character like him. Everybody makes mistake sometimes. I didn’t see one player that has played 100% well. What is important is the character and the quality of course. What happened here belongs to the past and there is always another game.”

Grant has worked wonders at Stamford Bridge since he took over from the ousted Jose Mourinho in September and his side will be looking for their eighth straight win against the Bundesliga outfit they defeated 2-0 a fortnight ago.

The Israeli’s attacking style of play is beginning to bear fruit and win over the fans who feared he and his staff would struggle to replace Mourinho.

Grant is pleased with his side’s progress. He said: “I am very pleased with progress and the results. But tomorrow is the Champions League. Our first win was against Valencia after we lost two points against Rosenborg. We are now in a good position but we want to finish it and qualify as soon as possible. We want to keep progressing in these things. In the last few games, we have done a good job.’’

He added: “I think the team has to have the credit. To do so much positive things in a short time, the credit needs to go to everyone. For me, it is only the beginning of the process. But you can give a big credit to everybody at Chelsea.

“It is not easy to do such a thing in a short time. But if you have players, management and staff, who are so good, it is much easier.”

Unlike Lampard, the trip to Gelsenkirchen has brought back fond memories for 52-year-old Grant, who began his coaching career just a short distance away from the venue.

Grant added: “Ten minutes from here was my first coaching course in football when I came out of Israel in 1977. I spent five weeks at Duisberg when I was 22 and now I am back in this area as Chelsea manager.”