Chelsea earned a hard fought point to stay on top of UEFA Champions League Group E with a 1-1 draw at Valencia.
In a week where the selfish ego of Carlos Tevez has dominated headlines, it was noticeable that another star player who spent excessive time on the bench made a positive impact for the Blues.
Lampard has found himself on the bench more often than he would like for both club and country of late, but the midfielder is choosing to act like a grown man and fight for his place like a true professional.
A few tabloid newspapers chose to highlight the fact that Lampard headed to the dressing room five minutes before the end of Chelsea’s 4-1 win over Swansea City. Sadly, while they were busy trying to create a scandal, those newspapers neglected to mention the fact that Lampard put himself through a full training session on the Stamford Bridge pitch that night immediately after the game.
The desire to train and maintain fitness is more common in young up and coming professionals, than it is in a 33 year-old midfielder with an abundance of medals and England caps.
Lampard was subbed out at half-time during Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat at Manchester United recently. The England midfielder had also been left out of the starting lineup for Chelsea’s last two games.
In today’s world it is common for a prima donna superstar to act insulted purely due to the fact that his manager dare bench him. Players are not as quick to try and earn their spot, in fact it is more common a phone call to the agent will be followed by a spell of horrid performances before he eventually leaves.
Lampard performed very well during the first half in Valencia, and opened the scoring in the 56th minute when he collected a pass from Florent Malouda and fired home well from the edge of the area.
Valencia stuck to the task and were rewarded three minutes from full time when Salomon Kalou handled in the area, and Roberto Soldado stepped up to convert the penalty kick.
When asked after the game about his selection, Lampard said “you have to respect the manager, respect the team and the quality of the squad we have.” Such humility and maturity is lost on many modern day professionals.
It may be true that Lampard is past his physical peak, but he has the ability and the attitude to be a positive force for Chelsea for years to come. It is admirable that Lampard wants to make a contribution, even if he does not get it all his own way.
Lampard has found himself on the bench more often than he would like for both club and country of late, but the midfielder is choosing to act like a grown man and fight for his place like a true professional.
A few tabloid newspapers chose to highlight the fact that Lampard headed to the dressing room five minutes before the end of Chelsea’s 4-1 win over Swansea City. Sadly, while they were busy trying to create a scandal, those newspapers neglected to mention the fact that Lampard put himself through a full training session on the Stamford Bridge pitch that night immediately after the game.
The desire to train and maintain fitness is more common in young up and coming professionals, than it is in a 33 year-old midfielder with an abundance of medals and England caps.
Lampard was subbed out at half-time during Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat at Manchester United recently. The England midfielder had also been left out of the starting lineup for Chelsea’s last two games.
In today’s world it is common for a prima donna superstar to act insulted purely due to the fact that his manager dare bench him. Players are not as quick to try and earn their spot, in fact it is more common a phone call to the agent will be followed by a spell of horrid performances before he eventually leaves.
Lampard performed very well during the first half in Valencia, and opened the scoring in the 56th minute when he collected a pass from Florent Malouda and fired home well from the edge of the area.
Valencia stuck to the task and were rewarded three minutes from full time when Salomon Kalou handled in the area, and Roberto Soldado stepped up to convert the penalty kick.
When asked after the game about his selection, Lampard said “you have to respect the manager, respect the team and the quality of the squad we have.” Such humility and maturity is lost on many modern day professionals.
It may be true that Lampard is past his physical peak, but he has the ability and the attitude to be a positive force for Chelsea for years to come. It is admirable that Lampard wants to make a contribution, even if he does not get it all his own way.
