Chelsea have started the season in blistering form with Frank Lampard already getting among the goals. We caught up with the midfield goal machine to get his views on the new season and to see if Carlo Ancelotti can cut the mustard.
Frank, it’s another new season, another new manager for Chelsea. What sort of an impression has Carlo Ancelotti made?
I had heard good things about him before from players who have played under him, not just for his work on the training ground but the way he is as a manager and the way he interacts with players. His English is very good and I think everyone has been very impressed with what he has done so far.
Can Ancelotti ever live up to José Mourinho?
I don’t think Carlo Ancelotti will have any issue with stepping out of Mourinho’s shadow. Ancelotti has come to us having won the Champions League twice and the Italian league. I don’t think it’s fair to say he has anyone else’s reputation to concern himself about. If we can win the Premier League or the Champions League this year he’ll have been a success in his own right and no one will be asking that question.
Describe just how much of an impact Mourinho made at Stamford Bridge?
I loved him as a man and a manager and he is a superb figure for me who I will never forget. He is a great manager and tactician. José was the man in charge during what was an amazing period in Chelsea’s history. He added some players but the most important thing was the confidence he instilled in us as a team. It was that little bit of magic which rubbed off on the whole club. We achieved three years of success that is unequalled at Chelsea.
You’d agree, then, that foreign managers and players have had a positive effect on the Premier League?
The best foreign players have added so much to the Premier League, making it what it is now. English players have to pick up the best elements of the way foreigners practise and train and work at their own game.
What about the young English players trying to break through?
Not enough of them are professional. It’s something I feel very strongly about. There are good young pros out there but nowadays it’s made much too easy for them.
We’re all lucky to be where we are, leading nice lifestyles, but that lifestyle is coming earlier and earlier. The lads are forgetting the hard work that needs to be done to earn that lifestyle. Sometimes when you mix with international players and have a taste of the trimmings at 16, 17 or 18, you can forget you’re not there yet.
We have a fantastic Academy at Chelsea, but players don’t clean boots any more and I’m a big advocate of them doing that. John Terry and I always complain that they should be cleaning boots because it was a great learning curve for us, being told off by Julian Dicks and having the boots thrown back at you. Once that’s gone, an edge can be taken off. If that stops players being as good as they should be that’s bad.
Who’s the most talented team-mate you’ve ever played alongside?
Wayne Rooney. As a midfielder, as soon as I get on the ball, I want to play it in behind the other team’s midfield or defence. I need someone to be ahead of that action, already getting into a good position. As you learn to play with Wayne, you realise that his awareness is exceptional. It’s his key strength. Wayne Rooney is an incredible player. He would get into any club or international side in the world.
There’s been a lot of talk about formation at Chelsea this season. What’s your preferred system?
Whatever works. Great managers work out the best formation and win more games than they lose. I think a solid defence is the basis for a winning side, but you also need to hurt the opposition.
