A STAR IS REBORN
Barkley puts in ‘complete’ performance and looks the heir to Lampard’s throne
THEY started the game singing the name of Frank Lampard, come the second half it was that of Ross Barkley rolling down from the Chelsea fans, a deserved recognition for a player so in tune right now.
One goal, two assists and yet more reason to rejoice at the re-emergence of an England midfielder boasting the cunning our national side has long craved. Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri was asked afterwards for the words to describe the 24-year-old and finally settled on ‘complete’. He was certainly in complete control of this contest.
It is more than five years since an Englishman has scored in three consecutive Premier League matches for Chelsea. That, of course, was Lampard. But their current No8 has now matched Lampard and is fast emerging as the team’s No1, especially in the absence of Eden Hazard, missing because of a back complaint.
Barkley’s creation of Alvaro Morata’s opener was Hazardesque, a cute cushion with his left boot followed by a killer stab with his right, cutting through the heart of the Burnley defence and allowing his team-mate to slot home. His goal was just as impressive, as he carried the ball from deep before drilling into the bottom corner from 25 yards.
A bit like Lampard, you might say. To draw comparison to both Hazard and Lampard in one afternoon is quite a feat.
The last time Hazard missed a league game was in December, when Barkley was still an outcast at Everton and less than a week away from a £15million move to Stamford Bridge.
Ten months on, however, and only now does it truly feel like he is a Chelsea player. With it, he’s an England starter, too.
His only top-flight outings for Chelsea initially had been a pair of 3-0 defeats, and, since he was injured for most of 2018, his relatively modest transfer fee was even beginning to look inflated.
Not now. Flip the numbers of his fee and you have a more accurate reflection of his worth to Chelsea’s title challenge.
And that is what this campaign should be about.
Given the accusation that they would amount to little without Hazard due to the playmaker’s spectacular start to the season, here was a most convincing riposte from the understudies.
Led by Barkley and aided by fellow scorers Morata, Willian and Ruben Loftus-Cheek — and N’Golo Kante, always Kante — Sarri’s side eased to within two points of leaders Liverpool.
The Italian is now the only Chelsea manager to go unbeaten in his first 10 Premier League matches in charge, and on the only two other occasions the team have started like this they have signed off as champions.
Afterwards, Barkley was as bullish as he had been during the previous 90 minutes.
‘I believe we can stay in the title race,’ he said. ‘We put in a topdrawer performance. We are growing, we have momentum game by game and we can continue to improve. I am made up with how things are going, we are all chipping in with the goals.’
Of his Man of the Match, Sarri added: ‘He is playing very well. He has improved defensively, his physical condition is improving and he is very good technically. I think now he is complete.’
On the evidence of this, Chelsea could afford to exercise caution with Hazard’s fitness. They were simply slicker in every department here, Willian rivalling Barkley for star-man plaudits. The Brazilian drew a strong save from Joe Hart on 17 minutes before beating the goalkeeper with a measured curler moments later, only to be denied by the post.
Morata had laid on the latter with some fine hold-up play and an incisive through-ball, so he was deserving of similar service for the opener on 22 minutes, Barkley the creator.
Come half-time Morata could have had a hat-trick. He outsmarted Ben Mee with a razorsharp turn inside the area but his finish was blunt in comparison as he poked wide. He then beat the offside trap only to hammer straight at Hart and his half was complete when he received a yellow card following a scuffle with James Tarkowski.
You could not accuse the Spaniard of hiding this week.
In truth, Chelsea’s slender lead never looked delicate — Burnley did not have a shot on target in the first half — but their two best players on the day made sure of the result anyway. Barkley’s goal arrived first, on 57 minutes, before Willian located the same bottom corner six minutes later. Barkley provided the pass. Game over.
Burnley manager Sean Dyche said: ‘Their technical quality and physical power comes through. They’re a top side. Moments today make you realise that, so we have to give them credit.’
Loftus-Cheek, unfortunate not to start after his Europa League hat-trick against Bate Borisov on Thursday, came off the bench early and scored late with a closerange blast. But the star had been Barkley and the Chelsea fans let him know as much.