Frank Lampard… what are you not like?
In case you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last 19 years or so, the man scores goals. Today, the midfielder became the fourth top Premier League goalscorer of all time by putting Leicester to the sword and ramping the pressure up on his old club Chelsea.
He’s now level with Thierry Henry, one of the greatest players to have ever graced the league. A striker as well, nonetheless.
Whatever Lampard does from now on, he has earned his place amongst the immortals of the game but throughout a ridiculously proficient career, he has continued to draw comparisons with one Steven Gerrard. Usually losing the debate, we think it’s about time that someone takes a stand for the evergreen English man.
Here’s a list of why he should be held in higher regard than his compatriot.
1. 175 goals
175 goals. 175. Goals. 175 goals!
For God’s sake that is insane. That’s just in the league as well, by the way. It’s outrageous for anyone, never mind a central midfielder. Lampard has proven time and time again that his eye for the net is no bloody fluke and he has shown since he first hit the net in 1997 that no-one in that same position will ever rival him again.
2. Longevity
Unlike Lamps, Gerrard has been on the wane in recent seasons. Almost two full years younger than Frank, the Liverpool skipper already looks like he could be stuttering toward the very end of his career with fans calling for him to be dropped, others saying he’s finished. Lampard looks nowhere near that – part of the reason why Chelsea supporters wanted to keep him – and, whilst Gerrard has shown an undisputed dip in recent seasons, the City player keeps propping up with vital performances at 36.
3. Style of play
The fact that Lampard is still a key cog for whoever he lines out for is down to his more effortless demeanour. Where Stevie G relied more on physicality, on frightening, powerful bursts forward, on relentless energy, Lampard let the ball do more of his talking and it’s showing in their mid-30s. Gerrard has lost a lot of what made him so unplayable, Frank hasn’t lost his touch of a football one bit. He can still pick passes, control play and burn holes in nets up and down the country. He always offered more long-term value. And that’s why he still hasn’t returned to New York. That’s why Gerrard is almost done when the older Lampard is still having a laugh.
4. Success
Lampard has won everything Gerrard has. And he’s won a hell of a lot more, too. Both have had pretty decent careers, both were awarded man of the match as they guided their respective clubs to Champions League glory, and both have scored goals for England – Lampard obviously with the most. But Frank is coming down with more individual honours as well – he even beat Stevie to silver in ’05 when they were both up for Ballon d’Or and, crucially, he has three league medals to look back over and smile. Three so far. Where Gerrard chose to stay on Merseyside, Lampard made the switch across London in a move that defined one of the great careers of football and, even now, he is ferociously chasing another Premier League with City. Who knows, he’ll maybe have even more success in Europe. His Liverpool counterpart has but a League Cup to be proud of from his last eight years’ endeavour – what should’ve been the very peak of his career. Success rewarded Lampard’s ambition. He will have no regrets. Gerrard will have plenty.
5. Adaptability
Gerrard might well have been shoved out wide the odd time but don’t we hear all about it when he is? Lampard has played under 13 different club managers, he’s been asked to play deep, head a diamond, play at different sides of midfield in different systems and game plans and his form has rarely wavered. Wherever he has been asked to go, he has generally starred and he has generally scored goals and we’ve never heard of tactics not suiting him. He just plays football. His goal today, a cool, instictive, tight left-footed finish just further showed off his ability to score with every type of finish and to play football – top class football – on every sector of the field.
6. No slip-ups
Frank Lampard didn’t slip when it mattered most.
7. 175 goals!
Really though. Robbie Keane, Ian Wright, Robin van Persie, Teddy Sherringham, Dwight Yorke, Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler, even Emile Heskey… they’re just a list of players who couldn’t do what Frank Lampard has done. And they couldn’t do it further up the pitch being serviced by people like Frank Lampard.
