ROSS CAN BE BOSS
Cole is tipping reborn Barkley to be the new Lampard and lead Chelsea to glory
JOE COLE says maverick midfielder Ross Barkley can drive Chelsea’s push for silverware just like Frank Lampard did.
Once touted as England’s next big thing, Barkley has been overshadowed this season by the emergence of younger stars at Stamford Bridge and beyond.
But former Chelsea star Cole believes Barkley hit top gear just before the coronavirus shutdown and is ready to finally fulfil his potential.
Cole, who has taken up a coaching role with Chelsea’s academy, said: “Ross has improved. He’s a top player. I’m a big fan and always have been.
“He’s been a bit less spoken about because of Jack Grealish and James Maddison and Mason Mount. But he’s done a terrific job at Chelsea.
“The last two games, against first Liverpool and then Everton, he was brilliant, fantastic. I’ve always thought he was a top player and I think he’ll be at Chelsea for many, many years.
“Now the challenge is to keep doing that – can he be that player who drives Chelsea on to win trophies, like his manager was? I think he can.”
Barkley scored a belter in Chelsea’s 2-0 FA Cup win over Liverpool earlier this month.
He then had two assists in the 4-0 thrashing of Everton, showing the form that convinced them to pay his old club £15 million for him.
It has not been plain sailing for Barkley at Chelsea this season. He came off the bench to demand – and miss – a late penalty in a Champions League defeat to Valencia. And he was accused of being unprofessional by his manager after being pictured on nights out in Liverpool and Dubai before Christmas.
Barkley is criticised for his decisionmaking, speed of thought and tendency to over-elaborate – much as Cole was when he first quit West Ham for Chelsea in 2003.
But Jose Mourinho applied polish to BEEN THERE: his rough Cole was also diamond doubted and Cole feels that
Barkley will follow in his footsteps and become a more complete player under Lampard.
He added: “I’m pleased if people can see similarities between him and me because I’m a big fan. I think I just developed at Chelsea. It wasn’t just Jose. He’s a fantastic manager but I was playing with better players. More expectation. I grew into my body a bit. And winning trophies breeds confidence.
“I like everything about Ross. Technically he’s spot on. The mental aspect of the game, he’s getting better and better. Tactically, he’s improving all the time.
“I just think he’s a top, top player for Chelsea and England. As football evolves, players like him are getting more and more valued. He’s a fantastic player.” ●JOE COLE is a football analyst for BT Sport and can also be found trying his hand at acting in BT TV’s video to celebrate its new range of flexible TV packages – visit www.BT.com/TV