Much has been said about Frank Lampard and his youth revolution this season and rightly so, the things that they have achieved are nothing short of extraordinary. The young brigade have not just proven themselves but has taken one step further and let the fans know that the future of the club is in safe hands. As we have seen throughout this season, no amount of praise could be termed sufficient with regards to these young players as each one of them has exceeded the fans’ expectations. They have stepped up every single time when they have been called upon and put their hearts out relentlessly.
The season started with the fans hoping that the club could survive the ordeals of a transfer ban and the departure of our best player coupled with the arrival of a relatively inexperienced manager. But with the storm almost passed, fans will look back and feel that it wasn’t that bad after all. In fact, many even believe that it was a blessing in disguise. The fact that the team has performed relatively well despite the obstacles that they have had to face, has brought over a sense of faith among the supporters that the club’s quest to reclaim their spot as one of the best in Europe has already started.
Role of the Senior players
It’s necessary to understand that despite the emergence of these talented young players, the rebuild is going to be a project that everyone has to be involved in for it to be smooth and successful. And when I say everyone, it includes the board, the fans, the coaching staff, the players- both the young and the senior ones. Now as much of the young players are important to this team, the senior members are equally crucial, if not more. Senior-level football is a whole different game altogether. Talent alone is not going to suffice, for the league has seen many talented players but only a few have lived up to the expectations.
The reason? Pressure. Now, handling pressure isn’t something that you’re born with, rather, it comes from experience. And young players, for obvious reasons, easily succumb to the pressure and that’s exactly why our current team requires the senior figures, now more than ever.
Players like Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, Cesar Azpilicueta and even Oliver Giroud are vital cogs for the “Lampard Era” to be successful. Their experience of having played at the highest level consistently and having seen the highs and lows of the game is something that’s indispensable. Additionally, players like Antonio Rudiger and Marcus Alonso can also be thrown into the mix and even though their quality may be in question, their experience is useful.
Ask someone like Alonso how it feels to be booed by the fans of the opposition every time he steps on to the field. Or Jorginho, who was slandered by our very own fans for the majority of last season. Despite the hostile atmosphere surrounding them, these two have always had the last laugh and that’s chiefly due to their experience and mentality – two prime factors that determine whether a player is breakable or has the heart to go against the odds.
There’s no substitute for experience and that’s exactly why having these players is all the more important. They don’t necessarily have to be on the pitch all the time but if they could somehow pass their knowledge and experience to the youngsters then it’s going to make Lampard’s job all the more easier.
Make no mistake, these are young relatively untested players and they are going to have periods where they’ll struggle, where the fans are going to run out of patience with them, when the media is going to ask for their heads and these eventually will lead to a phase where they will find it hard to motivate themselves or they might even begin to be doubtful. Now that’s when they’ll need a arm around their shoulder to assure them that the team has got their back and instill in them a sense of belief.
Now Lampard, despite being the coach, can’t be around every single one of them all the time. That’s why the role of senior players is very crucial. Their simplest of words and actions towards the young players in such a situation is going to be decisive in keeping them at bay and also focused and motivated. They might help them create this shell, that overtime is going to be a hard one to crack. At the end of the day, football is a state of mind and something as simple as a few words can change the mindset of a player and do a world of good for him.
And Lampard clearly knows this as way back in October last year he said, “Without a doubt, there’s a responsibility of senior players that they set the tone. The young players will look up to them and follow their lead, hopefully in the right way. That’s on and off the pitch.”
“I’m not naive enough to think I can walk around and be the dictator of this building at all times. It’s impossible. I rely heavily on my staff as well and I rely on all the players, the senior players to take on their responsibilities. And they do. I’m happy with what I’ve seen,” he went to add.
Learning the Trade
Now, these youngsters need players around them who are leaders. Leaders from whom they can learn the trade. They have done all the hard work and come to the very top, now the path from here is the tricky one. The seniors have a bigger role to play in their development than the youth themselves or even the manager for that instance.
Someone like Giroud, who is probably the best target man in the world at the moment, the skill set with which he thrived in that World Cup-winning squad of France, could be a great mentor to Tammy who sure looks like the one to lead our lines in the upcoming years. His attribute of bringing the wingers into play with his exceptional hold-up play and slick touches, coupled with dominance in the air could be something that Tammy can add to his already impressive portfolio.
Or talk about the young prodigy, Billy Gilmour who caught everyone’s eyes with his back to back man of the match displays in the last two starts for Chelsea. He sure looks to be the future of Chelsea’s midfield and he could easily benefit by working closely with Jorginho and Kovacic – something that he claimed that he is already doing. Reece James under the ever-dependable Azpilicueta will not just have the opportunity to grasp the veteran’s art of defending but also his leadership qualities. Having captained the youth sides, Reece sure looks to be one of the future captain materials and working with the current captain is only going to push him further.
It’s no doubt that the youngsters are going to be under the spotlight of the fans and the media for a considerable amount of time. They must be reminded that the hard work doesn’t stop once they break into the senior side, rather, the work begins only then. And who better than Lampard to tell them that? He’s seen the highs and the lows won everything, been at a position that they are in now and went on to become a club legend. During the post-match conference (Chelsea vs Brighton and Hove Albion) he said, “Everyone has been drawn to talking about the young players but they will always need experienced players around them. Some of the experienced players can set those standards and the young players must follow.”
Ruben Loftus Cheek said something similar when he first broke into the senior side. Speaking to the EA Sports website he said, “It’s important to have senior players when you’re coming through, especially when you start training with the first team. We’re lucky with John Terry who gives so much help, advice. He’s there for you if you want to ask him anything if you’re not sure about anything, so for me, he was a massive help. Also, the other players and just training with them, seeing how they act around the place and all of them are good role models.”
The good part is, we aren’t short on senior players. The likes of Kante, Rudiger, Jorgi and others are always going to be a source of support and learning for the other youngsters in the team. It doesn’t necessarily have to be on the pitch, could be off of it as well. It’s about forming a bond with the younger players and it doesn’t matter where that relationship starts. That is exactly why I feel it is important for Lampard to build a culture around this team, not an individual.
The Leaders
Having said that, it’s unrealistic to expect that the current senior players are going to emulate or have an impact similar to that of the golden era. Those were the days of men where each of them thrived being a leader on the pitch. Each player complimented the other and you could see how they tried to push each other to do well. However, modern-day football has evolved a lot since then. We rarely see a captain getting animated and letting his teammates have a piece of his mind when necessary.
Lampard is well aware of this, as a couple of months back speaking to the Chelsea website he said, “All eras and groups are different. It’s difficult to replicate an exact group of a dressing room that was here 15 years ago. You don’t have to have the stereotypical leader thumping his chest. The modern dressing room has changed a lot. The strength within the group can be shown in different ways. It can be shown through the young players. It doesn’t mean you have to have a big core of experienced players that are banging the drum daily. What you need is a strong group and then your leaders come from within it.”
It is important to understand this because when you look back and see that some of the leaders we have had over the years, like, Terry, Lampard, Ballack, Cech, Drogba and literally everyone from that period, they had this golden opportunity to break into the team more or less at a young age and rub shoulders with some of the most experienced heads of that era. So it’s clear to think that the current crop of youngsters are going to get better over a time but that’s only if they relish the opportunity of working with the senior players and show their eagerness in learning from them.
Having watched Chelsea with Lampard at the helm, the fans by now would have got a gist of what he’s trying to do. And the fact that the young brigade has already stepped up to the challenge thrown at them despite this being their very first season, goes onto show their determination, desire and hard work that they have put throughout the years in the junior teams and loan moves. However, with the rebuild in its initial stages, Lampard must ensure that he builds a strong foundation that can last for years despite who comes in or goes out. And for this to happen, he needs his senior players to step in and share the burden along with him. Now, it isn’t just limited to the experienced campaigners we already have, but also the ones we decide to bring in during the transfer windows in the near future.
Sources: DailyMail, The Telegraph, The 5th Stand App, Football London, EA Sports
By Shyam
Edited by Jai Mcintosh