Sterling experience and quality could be key, says Lampard
10 APR 2023
Frank Lampard has spoken about his admiration for Raheem Sterling, explaining why he believes getting the best out of the winger could play a big part in getting Chelsea firing again, especially in our next match against Real Madrid.
While Frank Lampard is still getting to know many of the members of the current Chelsea squad after returning to Stamford Bridge as caretaker manager on Thursday, Raheem Sterling is one player he is already familiar with.
Although this will be Lampard’s first time managing Sterling, the pair were team-mates with England at opposite ends of their careers, most notably during the 2014 World Cup, which was the first major international tournament of Sterling’s career and the last before Lampard’s international retirement.
It is clear the forward, who joined Chelsea from Manchester City last summer, is a player our caretaker manager has a lot of respect for, having identified getting him performing at his best in west London as an important target for his time in the dug-out.
‘I think he’s a fantastic player,’ said Lampard. ‘He’s been one of the best wingers in the world for a long time, at times maybe in some people’s opinions the best.
‘I can’t remember how many times I’ve referenced him as an example to young wingers when I was here previously at Chelsea and at Derby and Everton, telling them to watch Raheem Sterling and see why he scores 20 goals a season plus, stuff like that. So I’ve got the highest regard for him in that sense.
‘I’ve spoken to Raheem a little bit over the last few of days. But we also need to get the right team structure to make it best for the players and then drive them, to get the best out of them. So I’ll speak to Raheem more.
‘I just think he’s a top player. These things are always 50-50 for me, it’s about getting the right structure for the player and then the rest is the player themselves, but Raheem’s shown what a player he is.’
Although Sterling is in his first season with the Blues, he is also one of the more experienced members of this young Chelsea squad, with four Premier League winner’s medals to his name as well as appearances in European finals for club and country.
They say form is temporary but class is permanent. With that big-game experience under the winger’s belt, Lampard feels Sterling could prove to be an especially important asset in our squad for the upcoming Champions League quarter-final tie against Real Madrid, which begins with the first leg in Spain on Wednesday evening.
‘I haven’t watched every Chelsea game this season because of time as I was obviously doing my own thing, but he certainly is a player of a higher level and a higher confidence level and with an understanding of the game that it won’t faze him.
‘In fact he’s risen to games like that in the past, so that’s something we’ll obviously rely on in terms of this because some elements of the squad are maybe a bit younger. Raheem’s been there and done it and has a history of producing.’
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Lampard keeping it real as focus switches to Madrid
10 APR 2023
Frank Lampard has plenty of history when it comes to magical European campaigns with Chelsea, but says that will count for nothing when he keeps his focus firmly on the task at hand against Real Madrid in this season’s Champions League.
In the short time since Lampard returned to Chelsea as caretaker manager on Thursday, with our Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid dominating the horizon, he has been confronting comparisons between the current season and 2011/12.
Just over a decade ago, we also had a legendary former Blues midfielder – on that occasion Roberto Di Matteo – arrive at Stamford Bridge part-way through the season to take over the team until the end of the campaign, in the wake of disappointing league form. Of course, any Chelsea supporter will know how that ended, with Lampard captaining Di Matteo’s side to glory in the Champions League final.
However, Lampard is eager to prevent too many comparisons being made between 2012 and 2023, knowing it is important that he avoids being drawn into the dreaming and stays realistic about the size of the task we face in finding a way past the current holders Real Madrid in the last eight.
‘Probably on the outside, in a romantic sort of way, I can see why people would make the comparison,’ said Lampard. ‘But I think in football terms, because our games will be against Real Madrid and, if we can progress, Bayern Munich or Man City, there are practical things that are really tough. So I certainly don’t want to be getting one step further ahead of ourselves than I should.
‘We only can focus now on the game on Wednesday and the challenge there. I don’t think the history has a big effect on it but I understand the romantic idea. Wouldn’t we all love to see it again? But we have to work towards that. I think it is hard to compare with previous years gone by.’
Furthermore, while Lampard has as fond memories of the 2012 triumph as anyone else, he also points out it is easy to look back on that season and success through rose-tinted glasses 10 years on. He highlights the fact that an experienced squad featuring long-serving Blues like John Terry, Petr Cech and Didier Drogba was at a very different stage in its development than the current squad.
‘There was a lot to it. Part of that was we parked the bus at the Nou Camp and managed to hang on for our dear lives in the game. There were so many bits of fate and different moments but we did have a huge desire and a big character and a level of talent in a group that had been striving for years to win the Champions League.
‘That year’s the one people remember, but the one they don’t remember is getting knocked out by Inter Milan at Stamford Bridge, and other times like that. A team and a group will always go through tough moments to get to the great ones and now, with the team we’re putting together, everyone understands we’re not in that sort of position now.
‘We’re not in that position, but we have an opportunity against a fantastic team and we just have to attempt to make the most of the opportunity – go there with confidence and go there with a belief, because otherwise you don’t turn up.’
Only time will tell if Chelsea can add another chapter to our storied European history against Real Madrid in this tie, but it seems certain that whatever happens, with Lampard at the helm, the Blues will be approaching the two legs with their minds firmly planted in the present.
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