Chelsea, Premier League
Why Ballack Should Boss Lampard
No one doubts Frank’s pedigree, but for once he should be chum. I’m a fan of Gordon Ramsay. He does good nasty TV. His American version of ‘Kitchen Nightmares’ is corny and over-edited but it’s still got the same enjoyable tropes as before: dizzying camera shots, lots of excited gestures and plenty of two footed [...]
No one doubts Frank’s pedigree, but for once he should be chum.
I’m a fan of Gordon Ramsay. He does good nasty TV. His American version of ‘Kitchen Nightmares’ is corny and over-edited but it’s still got the same enjoyable tropes as before: dizzying camera shots, lots of excited gestures and plenty of two footed tackles on prima donnas - you can tell he’s still sore about not becoming a footballer! But the thing the yanks love is that vicious gusto and his unflinching confidence in authority. Yes, if Gordon Ramsay has taught us anything about football – which he hasn’t - it’s that there’s a big difference between being a cook and a chef. In Lampard and Ballack, Chelsea have one of each. But which is which?
An epidemic of injuries and a stag party’s worth of African Cup go-ers have left the squad thread bare. Lampard is crocked. Terry is still languishing on the sidelines. So, who takes on the heavy burden of captaining Chelsea’s asthmatic chase of Arsenal and United? Perhaps the long serving centre back Carvalho with 140 appearances? Or will the inspirational Joe Cole, with an impressive 190 caps amassed, take the armband? No and No. It’s that German bloke with the floppy hair. His performances last year oozed grace but too, a yawning nonchalance. His choice – despite his protest otherwise – to miss the first third of the season to go under the knife hardly endeared him the Chelsea faithful. But now something’s changed…
He is now the general of a Chelsea side who have climbed back into competition with Man Utd and Arsenal: teams whose form is simply relentless. He is tipped as the future vice or even full time Chelsea captain. How, you may wonder? Quite plainly - he is an excellent leader. Some may argue it’s just a coincidence; he’s hit a rich vein of form. That, the much needed ankle surgery has now freed him from restraint, like a deathly ball and chain. But more likely, that the absence of Lampard has given him undisputed control to steer the midfield. When Ballack is paired alongside Lampard he plays with an uncertainty and sheepishness alike a man unsure whether to walk his dog or chase it. He performs with caution and respect. And who could blame him? I mean, after all, Lampard was runner-up player of the year to Ronaldinho. But whilst he is the darling of Chelsea, he’s miles short of being the commander the team desperately need to compete with the best.
Lampard has never been a great leader.
Despite championing Chelsea to trophies and a Premier League title he is known for going missing in big matches and is a whisper to John Terry’s roaring command when captain. What Chelsea need is a midfield boss. A leader to drive the team from the heart of play. But first they must first have structure, designation, and an order most militaristic. Ballack is clearly is a regal fellow. A gentleman. Beside Lampard, he coyly refuses to dominate. Maybe he’s too keen to be liked? Too careful not be seen as Lampard deposer? Regardless, it smacks of indecision from the managerial side of both and country when handling Lampard. This constant refusal to install a solid structure on both fronts - a hierarchy - shackles them from competing for honours.
Steven Gerrard: when married with Lampard for England, is ghost of his Liverpool self because he worries more about upsetting the balance in respect than he does resetting the balance in control. For Liverpool, he is the governor and Alonso his subordinate – never the other way round. Call it a dictatorship, call it despotism but someone needs to rule. Someone needs to boss Frank Lampard and no - I’m not talking about his wife.
Sven, McClaren and even Jose Mourinho have failed to address the issue of control. They offered parity where they should have installed hierarchy. Where they installed respect they should have issued rank. The sleepy Avram Grant, though steadily guiding Chelsea, is still seen as caretaker by most Chelsea fans, a truth he must know with disdain. He seems to be biding his time for the right moment in which to impress himself on the fans. Could this be his chance? Avram has even admitted he is currently building the team around Ballack. Is it temporary? A bodge job for the time being? Or a sign for future?
Pushing Lampard down the food chain could be a tactical master stroke. With this dynamic the midfield would be a unique force to challenge Europe, to bring equilibrium to the midfield and produce a harmonious attacking midfield, fearless of all opposition. During Lampard’s absence, Ballack’s confidence will have grown and grown; when they were reunited, Chelsea’s attacking threat was minimal in a dire game against Liverpool. Will Avram address the issue that his predecessor dodged? The paradigm would reap rewards for England too, where Lampard would be led again, but by Gerrard. It all seems so logical. The perfect recipe. Ramsay would be proud! The question is; would Lampard really settle with playing second fiddle, being just the garnish to a Michelin star team when he’s so used to be the main course?
Should Lampard be dropped to allow Ballack to thrive?
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16 comments for “Why Ballack Should Boss Lampard”
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Simple answer - yes.
Lampard has been a very good player for Chelsea but he is past his best and needs to be offloaded whilst Ballack now he is fit has shown what he can do when he is in charge. For example, the whole midfield balance changed to our advantage when Lampard went off against Liverpool on Sunday (a game in which Gerrard was anonymous as he usually is unless the opposition is feeble). It was a disgrace that Grant or Ten Cats or whoveer manages us now left it until 70 minutes had gone before making the change.
Cash in - sell Lampard to his beloved Barcelona!
you are crazy! lampard is 1000 times better than Ballack and you all know that.. It is not his fault that he was injured.. In a few games he ill be the best again.. And he is the best chelsea player ever…
Definately lampard is not that good technically. Yes he is good at what he does which is movement in the box but i hope chelsea sell him he is more of a distraction than a partner for Ballack. i didnt understant Avrant changing the formation which worked for weeks when we played liverpool. Its all up to him if he wants to keep a happy lampard or loose his job.
simple answer, yes, its time for Frank to listen to Ellen and head off to Spain.He,ll always be loved and appreciated by blues but I agree, we,ve seen his best days and I trust Ballack more these days
remember something…………………………………………. he is still our best player!!!!!!!
Kenyon played this well, he did not renew the contract last year as it would have cost too much, now that he past his best, Chelsea will not have to pay him $130k A WEEK. with Ballack, Essien and Mikel, we have plenty of cover, its better he goes and we remember his good contribution.
Its funny how he came out the week after Ballack got praised for his contributions, saying how he loves Chelsea and does not want to move………..
LOL! “Gerrard was anonymous as he usually is unless the opposition is feeble”.
How can that be? I thought it was only when he plays with Lampard that he is feeble! At least, that’s what Frank gets blamed for in the rubbishy jump-on-the-bandwagon article above.
I think Lamps should stay another season just for the benefit of Mikel, he still has alot to lean and who better from than both Ballack and Lampard. We probs wouldnt get half the money we would next season but in the long run Mikel has the makings to be worth more than that.
stop this nonsense talk ye idiots frank lampard is, has and will be chelsea,s best player for years i agree he is not a great leader but to the idiot who said he goes missing in big matches less we forget his goals against barca, bayern munich(a nite he totally overshadowed ballack,liverpool man utd and arsenal he has bailed us out so many times best midfielder in the world for years
Steven Gerrard only ever plays well without Lampard - a fact he demonstrated all too admirably when called upon to captain his country on the only occasion it genuinely needed him. Result? Croatia 3, England 2, no Gerrard for a good 70 minutes on the pitch, and a summer of watching Switzerland and bloody Germany in Euro 2008.
Thanks, Stevie. You truly are an inspirational figure.
ballack is only a stupid faggy!!!! he wiil never be near to frank lampard..
Well, that is the question Avram needs to ask himself. If he wants to produce the so called sexy football, I’m not sure either will be good enough for us. If however, he wants to play safe and not rock the boat then yes he needs to make a choice between the two.
Frank is a fantastic goal scoring midfielder compared to Ballack. I personally believe that is Frank’s greatest strength over Ballack especially when he arrives late in the box. Ballack however is a far better passer of the ball and probably a tad more creative. Ballack is more skillful when it comes to freekicks. Have you ever seen Frank bend a ball round a wall? No is the answer. As for penalties, they are both great penalty takers.
The next question is whether they could play together. Well from my perspective, this unfortunately has got to be no. They are far too similar and they tend to get in the way of each other. Looking at Ballack against Liverpool, he was a shadow of himself when Frank was not around. Against Liverpool, it proved to me without a question of a doubt that they really cannot play together. One would have thought that with both on the pitch, we would be in total control. Far from it. We became too narrow and this allowed Liverpool to attack us alog the flanks. In my opinion you either play one or the other and not both. For me I’m afriad it will have to be Ballack. I never thought that I would say that as I feel he provides more control and drive than Frank does but when Frank is there, he becomes a shadow of himself. Persoanlly, I would prefer a creative midfield general instead of both of them. If Grant has the balls and wants us to play sexy football then he needs to find that player to dispose both Ballack and Frank. As far as I am concerned, we want the forwards to score the goals. If we have two prolific scorers uptop, who need a goal scoring midfielder? It is more important for us to have a creative midfield general to provide that pass to exploit the opposition.
Why Ballack Should Boss Lampard — Footballing World…
An article I have to agree on, who should be the main man in midfield? Ballack or Lampard. Personally I am just not sure there is a place for Lampard anymore……
I totally disagree with the one who said lampard is a better goal scorer than ballack is.There is no place in which lampard is better than ballack.Chelsea will do much better under scolari who may have the capacity to identify the best position for ballack
Anyone with just a small degree of football knowledge would know that Lampard is a much more consistent and influential player for Chelsea than Ballack will ever be.
To drop Lampard is to lose 20 goals a season. Now, why would anyone want to do that?
Funny how Lampard is currently, based solely on performance ratings and statistics, the best midfielder in the Premiership.
I don’t think you really know what you are talking about, Sir.
wat i thnk is dat both of dem r gud players bt BALLACK being more creative among d 2……hez d best wen it comes 2 long passing nd long shooting of d ball…..bt i thnk chelsea needs 1 of dem 2 be in d line up wich i thnk shd be ballack as chelsea has got great forwards nd ballack can make gud moves nd pass dem balls…….bt on d contrary we cannot forget wat lampard has given 2 chelsea……hez also among d 1 of d best players chelsea has ever got……bt still i wud go wid ballack…………………………..