Frank’s return allows Blues to achieve goals
Lampard hasn’t started a match for the champions since undergoing a hernia operation in August and it has been little surprise to see Carlo Ancelotti’s team struggle without him, especially when you consider his remarkable contribution to the team’s success over almost a decade.
It’s easy to say Chelsea have missed his goals — Lampard scored a personal best 27 of them in last year’s Double success and only one so far this season — but it’s about a lot more than that.
Last season Opta stats showed Lampard provided more goalscoring chances for team-mates in the Premier League — 109 — than anyone else; he also had more shots, at 109, than any other midfielder and yet was booked only once and gave away fewer free-kicks than most of his opponents.
So no wonder Ancelotti is relieved to have him back.
“I think this team needs Lampard, his ability to score from midfield and his experience,” he said.
“He can help us because he’s fresh and he has a strong desire to come back to play.
“It’s very important to have his support in front, in our attacking play, and when we have the ball. That will increase our possibility to score. Having him back will be fantastic news for the Arsenal game. He will be able to play. He’s fit. I don’t expect anything extraordinary from him — just what he’s able to do. He has a special ability and he’s always retained that.
“He doesn’t miss that now.”
The only problem, of course, for Chelsea is knowing how long it will take Lampard to return to peak match fitness, especially as he has a reputation for starting seasons slowly and only hitting top form after a run of games. But he has proved impossible to replace during his time out, not least because Chelsea have no-one in his style on their substitutes’ bench.
“In the market there is no player capable of replacing Lampard,” admitted Ancelotti, who is relieved the Englishman looks likely to end his career at Stamford Bridge. “Every player has different skills. (John Obi) Mikel is not able to score but is fantastic defensively. Ramires the same. (Michael) Essien has, I think, skill to score from outside the box but he was injured for a month, so his condition has not been so good. He has used this time to improve, so maybe Essien can support the team in front. But I am happy to have Lampard.
“It’s very difficult to find this kind of player who has the capability of scoring 20 goals in a season. He has character, ability, he always runs and works hard, not speaking. He’s so professional. It’s the best image for a player. I don’t like players who speak but don’t run. I like players who don’t speak but run. They do their talking on the pitch.
“I don’t know after three months whether he’ll be able to have the right time on the ball, but that doesn’t matter. His performances will be great for the other players and he is fit — he has worked so hard in the last three months. We took a lot of time with him.
“His injuries were not so simple to resolve, so we took our time. We had slow treatment, we didn’t take any risk with him, and his condition now is very good.
“He is the player with the best condition at this moment.”
That’s a major relief for Chelsea, who have won only one of their last seven Premier League matches in a run that has seen them slip from first to fourth in the table, but there is a growing sensation in west London that the blip is over and that with the spine of their team — John Terry, Lampard, Didier Drogba — now fully fit, they can begin a long recovery, starting tonight.
“It is fantastic to have JT and Lamps back, I think we are a better team when they play,” said winger Florent Malouda, who has had to play in a deeper role during Lampard’s absence and has paid the price with an end to his early-season goalscoring spree.
“They are the kind of players who are leaders and take responsibility every game. They can change a game and everyone knows how important they are to us. I think you will see them better than ever from now until the end of the season. For Chelsea it’s good — because we know that when they are back together we will be an even better team. It’s simple.”
The hope at Chelsea is that Lampard’s return will not only give the team a goals injection but also improve the performances of players around him, not least Malouda, who is expected to play in a front three at the Emirates in a bid to coax him back to the form that saw him score seven goals in nine games at the front end of the season.
“I think Malouda and Frank had a good feeling last year, a good combination,” said Ancelotti. “They were both able to score.
“Malouda can take advantage from the performance of Lampard now he is back.”
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
