Frank Lampard

[The only place to be 11,313]

This.

No matter what some people on here say. Lamps is still good enough and the fact that he actually has arranged himself with a bit-part role as under Benitez, playing about every 2nd game + Mourinho returning roobs them of any valid basis of arguments.

Mou will love to work with Lamps again. With him and some decent signings we will be challenging on all fronts again and Lamps can be an important part of that team. Mou also likes to play a 4-3-3 with Lamps's favourite position in it.

This season we have bitten ourselves for letting kalou go and having to play guys like Marin and Benayoun. Next season if we really let Lampard go we will have to play average players like Essien in his position.

If we're going to play 433 then he still has a place in the team, but I think you're then losing a lot of what Mata brings to the team if you shift him out wide.

Thinking back on his performance yesterday, he was 10/10 in Villa's penalty box. He's amazing there, the best midfield goalscorer of his generation and one of the best of all time.

My criticism of him was that everything outside their box wasn't particularly good. I said in the matchday thread that if he didn't start giving Rami some help then he was going to get sent off. He was 30 yards behind Benteke for the goal, but that's also an issue with the tactics Rafa employed and was evident in the Spurs game too. Up until Benteke got red-carded and Villa lost their shape, we were losing the midfield battle and that's not the first time it's happened with Lamps in the team. It happened at Newcastle (where he scored a great goal, but we still lost) and it happened at Southampton too.

I think people need to make a distinction that is hard to make - there's Lampard the gentleman, the legend, the ambassador and one of the best players we've ever had the fortune to watch....but there's also this 34 year old midfielder whose game doesn't seem to mesh with what we're trying to do going forward.

One is a no-brainer to offer a contract to...the other isn't.

[Manuf 1,448]

if there's somebody who wishes for him to leave here's a little instruction for you:

1. hit your head against a wall

2. think how many times we've reminisced about strong bench with the likes of Essien, Ballack, Belletti. all old but capable of changing the game and great addition to the squad. don't make an arsenal out of us.

[xPetrCechx 13,570]

Gary Lineker ‏@GaryLineker

Cannot for the life of me see Frank Lampard any place other than Chelsea next season. Mourinho will not let him slip away.

[KonohasOrangeFlash 2,607]

I agree with Lineker. I think Jose will want to keep him around.

[The only place to be 11,313]

if there's somebody who wishes for him to leave here's a little instruction for you:

1. hit your head against a wall

2. think how many times we've reminisced about strong bench with the likes of Essien, Ballack, Belletti. all old but capable of changing the game and great addition to the squad. don't make an arsenal out of us.

That isn't what Arsenal did. They underinvested. Rather than telling people to hit their heads against walls, why don't you actually go back and look at what Arsenal did - we couldn't be more different from them if we tried.

[Hutcho 8,443]

I think Jose should be coming back hopefully... And he knows how good he is, and his usefulness to this team so it is one of the first things he would do.

[xPetrCechx 13,570]

[xPetrCechx 13,570]

Chelsea's Frank Lampard says he can carrying on at the top for four more years

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11668/8707968/Chelsea-s-Frank-Lampard-says-he-can-carrying-on-at-the-top-for-four-more-years

[Ronaldo 28]

Jose dropped carvalho, Pepe and Fabio....

If you really think he's going to start lampard in the pivot, keep dreaming.

[KonohasOrangeFlash 2,607]

Jose dropped carvalho, Pepe and Fabio....

If you really think he's going to start lampard in the pivot, keep dreaming.

Not start him but have him in the squad playing whenever needed.

[Ronaldo 28]

Not start him but have him in the squad playing whenever needed.

lampard an am, ss and def. Not a cm.

also, I thought the whole thing with him was starting.

[KonohasOrangeFlash 2,607]

lampard an am, ss and def. Not a cm.

also, I thought the whole thing with him was starting.

Obviously not. If he didn't know before, then this season has shown him he won't be a regular anymore but will still get his fair share of games.

[Ronaldo 28]

Think it's time to give that position and games for someone else.

Obviously not. If he didn't know before, then this season has shown him he won't be a regular anymore but will still get his fair share of games.

I

I

[Magic Lamps 11,692]

My criticism of him was that everything outside their box wasn't particularly good. I said in the matchday thread that if he didn't start giving Rami some help then he was going to get sent off. He was 30 yards behind Benteke for the goal, but that's also an issue with the tactics Rafa employed and was evident in the Spurs game too. Up until Benteke got red-carded and Villa lost their shape, we were losing the midfield battle and that's not the first time it's happened with Lamps in the team. It happened at Newcastle (where he scored a great goal, but we still lost) and it happened at Southampton too.

This is class. When Lampard has a bad game you are the first to criticize him, but when Ramires is shit and completely loses it, u say it is Lampard's fault that Rami got sent off. When Ramires makes individual mistakes such as the two tackles that sent him off or the tackles he failed in the middle which got us under pressure they are individual mistakes. Against ManU we won the midfield battle cos both rami and Lamps played a solid game. Yesterday we lost it for half of the game cos Ramires was utter shit and later because we had only 10 men. When it was 10 vs 10 we completely dominated the midfield. Lamps is not able to win the mdifield battle as sole midfielder. No one is.

Benteke's goal was not about Lampard being 30m away from it. That happens. You could also ask Ashley cole why he wasn't there. Our tactical formation is called 4-2-3-1 and not bee swarm. The Belgian's goal was a series of individual mistakes, none of them was Lamps's.

And this "outside the box" shit and in general your artificial search for terms that somehow limit Lampard's contribution is pathetic. Everyone can see that he still contributes elsewhere on the ptich. His long range passing has been good this season, his defensive work in the own 3rd, too. I was exactly him who made the 2 last clearances of the game in stoppage time yesterday, it was him, who started the move for his second goal of, he anticipated the space and got his movement outside the box spot on for his first goal.

[The only place to be 11,313]

This is class. When Lampard has a bad game you are the first to criticize him, but when Ramires is shit and completely loses it, u say it is Lampard's fault that Rami got sent off.

Actually I called Rami an idiot for getting sent off. He reacted badly to the situation he was in.

Against ManU we won the midfield battle cos both rami and Lamps played a solid game.

Which Man United game? Not the one we were 2-0 down in before we took Lamps off and replaced him with Mikel?

Yesterday we lost it for half of the game cos Ramires was utter shit and later because we had only 10 men. When it was 10 vs 10 we completely dominated the midfield. Lamps is not able to win the mdifield battle as sole midfielder. No one is.

We lost is because their midfield worked harder than our's, simple as that. The same thing happened at Southampton too.

Benteke's goal was not about Lampard being 30m away from it. That happens. You could also ask Ashley cole why he wasn't there. Our tactical formation is called 4-2-3-1 and not bee swarm. The Belgian's goal was a series of individual mistakes, none of them was Lamps's.

Ashley? If you're going to blame a centre-back, why not blame Azpi who was closer to the play? It was a bad team goal to concede, but the double pivot requires greater workrate. Maybe I'm being harsh on him, and I accept that.

And this "outside the box" shit and in general your artificial search for terms that somehow limit Lampard's contribution is pathetic. Everyone can see that he still contributes elsewhere on the ptich. His long range passing has been good this season, his defensive work in the own 3rd, too. I was exactly him who made the 2 last clearances of the game in stoppage time yesterday, it was him, who started the move for his second goal of, he anticipated the space and got his movement outside the box spot on for his first goal.

Of course he'd be back when EVERYONE was defending. That's not typical play though so it's hard to take much from it. If you look at the second goal, Luiz wins the ball back and it finds it's way to Mata who then lays it off to Lamps, but that goal is all about a moment of genius from Hazard. You can't absolve Lamps of blame because 'the team' wasn't working hard enough and then not give them credit for doing well for the goal.

Like I said, I'll trust Mourinho's judgment when it comes to Lamps, but I think our future lies elsewhere for that position. Nothing changes the fact he's a legend that I consider myself lucky to have seen from his first game to possibly his last. People who want to make out I'm a 'Lampard hater' really can go fuck themselves.