This is not something that you will hear that often. But we have never been the biggest fans of Frank Lampard. He has played well for the big club sides that he has graced.
But when it came to the crunch for England he (admittedly like many others) looked technically naive and sluggish.
Perhaps it was his failed marriage with Gerrard in the midfield which caused the problems. Whatever the reasons, he never looked world class for his country.
But one thing that is irrefutable is his goal scoring prowess – 29 in 106 for England, 211 in 648 for Chelsea and, remarkably, 5 in 13 for Manchester City.
They are truly amazing stats for a midfielder and, because of Frank, trophies were won.
We think that Arsenal may have found another Lampard in Aaron Ramsey. He hasn’t been as prolific in front of goal this season for Arsenal with 6 in 21 – in his defence he has been shunted around the park a lot more – but put him anywhere near the net and there is a good chance that Ramsey will find it.
Like Lampard, Arsenal’s Ramsey is now almost guaranteed a start because of his ability to score goals – his screamer on Tuesday evening was the perfect example of someone with inordinate accuracy.
We think that Ramsey could actually become a more complete player than Frank. He’s arguably got more to his game and he’s still only 23.
But if he can continue to offer this sort of goal threat for Arsenal then the rest of his game won’t really matter. Because his goals will make him a nailed on starter every time.
Arsenal fans: will Ramsey beat last season’s tally of 16?
davi
Dec 10, 2014 at 8:34 pm
I understand the comparisons but I don’t think they’re quite right. Ramsey’s creativity and skill is miles away from Lampard and he’s already scored a number of goals that Lampard could never have scored in his wildest dreams. Lampard’s respect has been well earned through playing consistently well at all levels, and I’d even say the criticism he’s gotten for international performances has been unfair – did everything he could, often stepped up in big games but it wasn’t enough largely because those around him with big reputations didn’t do the same.
Regarding Ramsey, he has real creativity, at times reminiscent of Fabregas, but he also has an engine like Flamini had before he left, and can shoot as well as any midfielder in the league. That’s why his goal yesterday was so exciting, because it looks like he’s started scoring again – rest of the league beware.