Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley has identified Frank Lampard as the midfielder he hopes to emulate at the club as he seeks to launch his career at Stamford Bridge, following his arrival from Everton in January this year.
The England international is one of the most promising of his generation and has set his own standards in the Premier League in his time at the Goodison Park. He was one of their goal outlets, either the finisher or the assist provider.
At Chelsea, in his first six months playing under Antonio Conte, Barkley struggled to get to his best form, mainly because of the ankle injury he was battling with.
This season he has been unleashed as one of the three midfielders in Maurizio Sarri’s 4-3-3 formation, playing alongside N’Golo Kante, ahead of Jorginho. His role is to join attacks and also help start them. That takes him to advantageous positions outside the penalty area, where he can lash shots into the net just like Frank Lampard did so well for the many years he was at Chelsea.
According to Barkley, he has set his sights at Lampard’s seasonal goal tally at Chelsea and hopes he can match that or even half it each season.
“He’s someone to look at with the success he achieved for the club and for himself. I’ve played with Frank and I saw what he was like around England, and how much of a top professional he was. He was an idol of mine from when I was a young lad, watching Champions League games and seeing the goals he scored. If I could achieve half of what he did here, then that would be a success.
I believe I can hit the 20 goals a season mark. It’s a lot, but it’s achievable. You see Lamps do it and Stevie G [Steven Gerrard], and [Paul] Scholes. It’s just starting in training first, scoring goals there and practising every day.”
Ross Barkley, Telegraph
