Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas decided to leave midfielder Frank Lampard out of the his starting eleven for the visit of Swansea to Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
The England international was an unused substitute and apparently stormed off before the game had finished.
Older
Frank Lampard has been a great servant to Chelsea and has given his all but he needs to now accept that he is getting older, it happens to everybody. He can’t expect to play every minute of every game anymore.
The 33 year-old must also realise that Chelsea need to start blooding some of his replacements. Youngsters like Josh McEachran need to gain game time and experience with older players around them to guide them.
Frank Lampard is an intelligent guy he must see these things. And he must know he can’t play for ever. Lampard could be a invaluable tool to the likes of McEachran and Daniel Sturridge to learn from. Somebody who can pass his vast experience on to the next generation.
Team
When asked if Lampard was happy Chelsea boss Villas-Boas replied: “I don’t know but this is nothing to speculate about. The players just want the team to perform and Frank is like that.
“He’s a magnificent player and soon he’ll be back into the team, sooner than you expect.”
Rotation
A lot of the top teams in Europe use a squad rotation system but Lampard is accustomed to being first choice. If he isn’t going to be playing every match then Lampard might find it hard to accept. However it looks like he may have to accept it.
New
Andre Villas-Boas’ remit as Chelsea boss was to rebuild the team for the future. He has started that with bringing in the likes of Juan Mata and Raul Meireles into the midfield. Since they have joined the Chelsea midfield has looked like it has far more energy.
Villas-Boas needs to put his own stamp on the team as well. He doesn’t seem like the sort guy who would be happy to manage somebody else’s team. The Portuguese boss knows exactly what he wants from his team and it seems like he is starting to get his ideas across.
Experience
Just because Villas-Boas has brought in midfielders doesn’t necessarily mean the end of Frank Lampard. The England international still has a role to play for the Blues. I wouldn’t bet against him being selected for this week’s visit to Valencia.
Away at the Mestalla is the sort game where you need your experienced players to step up and help the younger players through. It will be a difficult game for Villas-Boas’ team but Frank Lampard could play a key role in the game.
Implosion
I heard somebody say recently that Frank Lampard’s Chelsea and England careers have imploded in the last two weeks. However I don’t think that’s true. It’s natural for a player in his thirties not to have the same effect he did earlier in his career. Both England boss Fabio Capello and Villas-Boas know what the midfielder can give you and he’s unlikely to be discarded.
Examples
Frank Lampard maybe needs to follow the route of some of his contemporaries and accept that he won’t play every game. The likes of Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs at Manchester United have proved that you can still play a role at a big club well into your thirties.
If he can start to get his head around this then he could be at Chelsea for a few years yet. However if he doesn’t and sulks then he will most probably be heading for the Stamford Bridge exit door in the near future.
Should Frank Lampard still a regular in the Chelsea starting eleven?
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