Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Frank: I hope my pal Brendan slips up again
FRANK LAMPARD is desperate to give his old pal Brendan Rodgers another headache this afternoon by securing Chelsea’s first victory of the season.
The new Blues boss was part of the Chelsea team that ended Rodgers’ hopes of winning the Premier League title in 2014 when he was manager of Liverpool.
Steven Gerrard’s infamous slip in that game, which gifted Demba Ba the winner, is a moment the Stamford Bridge faithful still sing about now.
Rodgers will likely be reminded of that episode when he takes his Leicester side to south-west London today for a match which pitches him and Lampard against each other as managers for the first time.
And Lampard – whose side lost 4-0 to Manchester United in their first game of the campaign and were then beaten by Liverpool on penalties in the Super Cup on Wednesday – recalled: “We went to Liverpool and beat them in a really tough match.
“They were absolutely flying and blowing everyone away and I did feel for Brendan on a personal level.
“I knew what a team he put together there and how close they were to doing something special. I know that not just as a manager, but as a player. I’ve been there when it doesn’t quite go your way.
“He showed his quality at Liverpool and continued to show it at Celtic.
“That’s a game which is now consigned to history, but we were a big part of stopping them winning the league that year on that performance.”
Rodgers and Lampard have been close since their time together at Chelsea, when the former England player was a first-team star and the Irishman a well-regarded coach in the youth set-up.
Lampard said: “I had a lot of contact with Brendan. As we are trying to do here now, the link between the academy and the first team needs to be strong – it’s a big part of the club.
“He was over here a lot, in the first-team building and the thing that stood out was his detail as a coach.
“He wanted to speak, wanted to ask questions, wanted to learn and was very big on details in his sessions in how he organised them.
“When he moved on and went to Reading and Watford, he took my dad as a consultant. He was there two days a week and they worked quite closely. I appreciated that, getting my dad out of the house and stuff. From then on, I’ve had a good relationship with him. I saw him on holiday a couple of years ago by chance and we always have a chat. I have top respect for him.”
Lampard also has top respect for midfielder
Jorginho.
The Italy star had an uneasy relationship with supporters last season, with many writing him off as Maurizio Sarri’s pet.
And, after a fine performance in midweek, he told fans he wants, “my name to be recognised by
Jorginho who plays for
Chelsea, not Jorginho who only works with
Sarri”.
Lampard added:
“He’s a driver of the group and shown himself to be a top-quality player for me already.
“I agree with him, he should be seen as
Chelsea’s Jorginho.”