Super Frank Lampard. The very player whose awesomeness made me become a Chelsea fan. Not just me, almost every other Chelsea fan of my age became a Chelsea devotee because of Lampard. Ah, what were those days when we used to have Lampard, Ballack, Makelele and The Bison Michael Essien. Easily the best midfield in the world. I’d dare say a few notches above the current UEFAlona Barcelona. Maka was the interceptor, who broke opponent attacks, Ballack the enforcer, and with their tireless running, Lampard and Essien the box-to-box midfielders. Good old days.
Now, if we take a look at our current midfield, we see an older and slower Super Frank, a knee-less Bison, road-runner Ramires and Maka Mach II Mikel, who’s nothing like Maka but something else entirely. This past season, Chelsea held up offering Lampard a new deal until the dying days of his contract. That was a period all we Chelsea fans were in a limbo. Would this be the last season we see Lampard play for the Blues? Would he leave us and play for someone else? These were some of the more common questions in the public’s mind.
However, the most important question in every Chelsea fan’s mind was, would he get the 203? No, 203 is not like the famous Illuminati number 503, holding importance when converted into Roman numerals, instead it was the magical number that would catapult any Chelsea player from and beyond mortality. It would make him a God in a Chelsea fan’s eyes. 203 was the goal tally required to be Chelsea’s all time record goalscorer beating Bobby Tambling’s previous record of 202.
The very fact that Lampard scored those 203 goals despite being primarily a midfielder says a lot about him. Yes, he does take penalties, but so what? Taking penalties and scoring them is an art, that sadly not many master. I cannot think past Lampard, Hazard, Del Piero and Balotelli, in the current crop, when I’m thinking of people I’d give the spotkick expecting a sureshot return. Even then, he has scored just 48 goals from the spot, a paltry 23.64% of his goals tally. How does one explain a midfielder score the remaining number of goals from open play?
Super Frank always had the instinct of a striker. His ability to arrive late inside the box is one which isn’t found in many strikers even! Some attribute it to his flab, hence the nickname Fat Frank. Lampard is so fat, they say, that despite clocking his maximum speed, he arrives late inside the box, scoring a boatload of goals in that manner. What the truth is that, like a cheetah smelling and closing in on his prey, Lampard has a scent that the ball would be played in, and he makes his way slowly, before hitting top gear and making himself available for a pass that leads to a simple, cute finish.
In terms of raw shot power, I rate him right among the finest. Long shots, drilled in with a hitman-like precision plus the power of Triple H’s sledgehammer, have been a major feature of his highlights reels as well. In recent times, now that the defenders know it’s suicide leaving him shooting space from 30-35 yards, his goals from distance seem dried up. But then, one way or the other, he’ll always score.
This superhuman has scored 10 goals or more in the Premier League for the past TEN SEASONS ! Before I present to you other interesting stats from his Chelsea career, why don’t you bother watching all his 203 goals? Trust me, the next 30 mins will be VERY well spent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD5vvGK5NjE
Now, let’s see how his goals shape up, season-wise :
Only League goals :
That 22 goal season in 2009-10 propelled Chelsea to go on and win the unprecedented Double under King Carlo in emphatic fashion. How often do you see midfielders notching up 22 goals? Super Frank, FTW !
Goals in all competitions :
While we start saying “Torres is back” after a 20 goal season, we forget to notice that this fat, slow midfielder who goes by the name Super Frank Lampard has given us FIVE 20+ goal seasons.
Competition-wise Goals tally :
This creamy looking pie gives us a good picture of how does Lampard’s goals vary with the competition he’s a part of. As expected, a boatload of goals of his are in the PL. He also is Chelsea’s all time record goalscorer in the FA Cup. Nothing unexpected.
How Did He Score?
A good question would be how does Lampard score his goals. Are they penalties, volleys, from his right, or his left? Let’s see :
Being a right footed player, his majority goals are unsurprisingly using his right foot. But he’s no gimmick with his left or his head ! He has scored using almost every permissible part of his body, even one off his chest ! Amazing, Super Frank !
He has not just been a person who scores goals when the team is leading. Instead he has had a fair number of game-changing goals as well. Considering a recent example, his two goals bailed Chelsea out against Villa and brought much needed three points to guarantee a CL finish. Not only did he become the record goalscorer that day, his two goals were typical Lampard goals. The first, a thundering left footed strike after a clever run and the second was the Lampardest of all Lampard goals. Anticipating a pass to come in, he sneaked in to the goalmouth in his typical slow fashion and tapped the ball in.
While one can never deny Lampard legendary status at the club, it cannot be overlooked that he’s aging and his play declining. Chelsea will be hard pressed to find a player who can possibly replace Lampard when he’s ready to move on or retire. What those choices Chelsea have, we don’t know, but what SHOULD those choices be, let’s discuss.
A player in that mould, in the current market, is bound to cost MANY millions. So, it would be wise to find an in-house solution or a bargain. Also, a young player would fit better, as he would still be involved in a positional transition, hence shifting the player in the Lampard box-to-box role should be easier. Also, the player should be IMMENSELY talented. Keeping these things in mind, let’s see who the viable options are on the next few pages – please use the easy navigation below to navigate between future successors.
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