Thoughts?

Personally I think he is on his last legs.

Depends.

If he can maintain fitness and we play to his strengths then he has plenty still to offer.

At the moment we are doing the opposite. No width. Cramping the space through the middle. You'll never see the best from him in that set up.

No, I don't agree. This being a World Cup year, I think it took its toll on him. Will he be the same Lamps of old?

No, but I think he still has a lot of gas (or petrol, as you call it) in his tank.

Perhaps an 80% Lamps with respect to the 05 - 10 Lamps is what I expect for the next 2 years, which is still really good.

Edited April 7, 201115 yr by Phillip

The injury he's had this season has definitely took something out of him....last night, i thought he was out of sorts..the era is coming to an end? i hope not, not yet anyway...

Think he has at least another 2 years left in him.

He's 33 in two months. We have taken a shift from the 433 he excelled in to a 442 formation that is making him look very average.

Lampard doesn't dictate possession and isn't a very good playmaker. He is a goalscoring box to box midfielder and at his age he is slowing down significantly. Can he change his game and become a Paul Scholes type ball playing midfielder? No, not in my opinion.

I think this summer his replacement has to be bought in and allow Lampard to become a squad player like Ballack was last season. Some how I don't think Lampard will accept that and nor does Ancelotti have the balls to do it...

Dont think Ancelotti will be the manager next season though

I think from next season the era of Frank as a first choice player will come to an end. As expected at 33 he is taking time to regain full match fitness after injury and is currently struggling to make his mark in matches, in particular those against the bigger teams. There is certainly no lack of willing and effort but at the moment the legs and most of all the form are not there.

However i still very much think he has something to offer as an impact substitute and certainly think he will be a very important squad player for the remainder of his contract at Chelsea.

This was always going to happen and the club shouldve been prepared for it.

He has fallen a lot this year and it shows in his legs and drive. He just doesn't make plays anymore. I think he will be on the the team and contribute but he shouldn't be in the lineup automatically.

I think he is in a similar situation to Ballack last season. If he understands he is no longer certain starter and is willing to be a squad player then we would be daft to get rid, same as we were daft to let Ballack go.

Ryan Giggs isn't the player he once was, but he is still a key player for ManU...if Frank has a good summer and rests up, I think we will still see some great performances from him next season...He can't expect to be an automatic first choice though...

He's 33 in two months. We have taken a shift from the 433 he excelled in to a 442 formation that is making him look very average.

Lampard doesn't dictate possession and isn't a very good playmaker. He is a goalscoring box to box midfielder and at his age he is slowing down significantly. Can he change his game and become a Paul Scholes type ball playing midfielder? No, not in my opinion.

I think this summer his replacement has to be bought in and allow Lampard to become a squad player like Ballack was last season. Some how I don't think Lampard will accept that and nor does Ancelotti have the balls to do it...

That sums it up for me - I agree with all of it.

Sometimes you build your team to play to a key players strengths. But you don't do that with a 33 year old. We HAVE to look to the future. If Lamps is happy to be a squad player next season and owards, then of course he is worth keeping. I would like to see him helping the younger players in some kind of coaching role too. But if he wants regular first team football then I think we should let him go to somewhere he can be assured it.

He's 33 in two months. We have taken a shift from the 433 he excelled in to a 442 formation that is making him look very average.

Lampard doesn't dictate possession and isn't a very good playmaker. He is a goalscoring box to box midfielder and at his age he is slowing down significantly. Can he change his game and become a Paul Scholes type ball playing midfielder? No, not in my opinion.

I think this summer his replacement has to be bought in and allow Lampard to become a squad player like Ballack was last season....

I agree!

It's time to face up to reality. Injuries and Father Time have caught up with Lamps. He has slowed down considerably and is only a shadow of his former self. I believe he will become a squad player next season. So the time has come to consider his replacement.

Our recent signings Torres and Luiz are regarded as long term replacements for Drogba and Terry. So the question is.....who will be Lamps direct replacement? The two most likely canditates are world class, namely Kaka and Sneijder. Kaka would appear to be the choice because of his association with Ancelotti. A Lamps/Kaka swap? Would Jose buy it?

The 23 year old Marek Hamsik is also a distinct possibility to replace Lamps. I read where Ancelotti has identified him as an excellent creative midfielder and a priority purchase.

i think frankies play will deteriorate rather quickly due to his iron man apporach/play...frank has really never had time off, hes been box to box full throtle for almost 15 years now, that will take on hell of a toll on the body

I agree!

It's time to face up to reality. Injuries and Father Time have caught up with Lamps. He has slowed down considerably and is only a shadow of his former self. I believe he will become a squad player next season. So the time has come to consider his replacement.

Our recent signings Torres and Luiz are regarded as long term replacements for Drogba and Terry. So the question is.....who will be Lamps direct replacement?

I'm not sure he'll have a direct replacement. Obviously we're going to try and find a world-class midfielder, but with Drogba and Lampard both reaching the end simultaneously, I think we're about to switch away from the 4-3-3 (or at least from the Jose version of it that we've been staying fairly close to ever since his first season). Torres is a different kind of striker than Drogba, and if we're building our next team's offense around him we might wind up needing a different kind of midfielder than Lamps.

The problem is, it's not just Frank who is coming to the end of the road, as far as being an automatic first starter and one of our leaders.

Our current first team is built around several key players(JT, Drogba,A.Cole,Lamps) that have been carrying Chelsea over the last 6-7 years and now they're entering the twilights of their respective careers. It's been a long time coming and lion's share of the blame for the state of things lies at Roman's doorstep for a)hiring and firing managers right and left instead of picking the right man and entrusting him with money and trust to build the squad in his vision, and b)lack of spending in the last few years to target improvement in the problem areas (attacking midfield, wingers) or spending it at the wrong players and positions that were not first priority(we must have spent a fortune on right backs and tried everyone there from Essien to Diarra and still couldn't find the solution).

I think, in Frank's case he needs to assess his priorities and maybe quit England and concentrate on the club. At 33 his chances of making it into next Euros even as a squad player, let alone a starter, are minimal, so perhaps to prolong his career he has to curb his ambition and save himself for Chelsea. With serious personnel changes imminent in the summer Lamps and a few other veterans face some tough decisions.

Edited April 7, 201115 yr by abramovich

Still a good player, but should not be an automatic selection anymore. We had a go at just about every player in the field, surprised it take this long for an enuiry to look into Lampard. Age has caught up with him, and cosidering he has played 500 games for us, there has to be wear and tears. The trouble is, who can take his spot right now? No one. Next season, if we buy an attacking midfielder or decided to promote Josh M, reduce Lampard to 40-45 games a year and ease the new guy in. Agree with the above post, he needs to evaluate his position with team Engalnd. At his age and after recent injuries, I don't think he will get back to what he was last year.

just like torres, the answer to this will be next season not this...he, like torres, needs the summer off to shake off his injury problems and then have a proper pre-season...if he is still struggling a few months in then we can start to worry...he has certainly done enough over the years for us to give him the time to prove he can get back to his best rather than write him off after one below par (by his high standards) season

Perhaps he won't play 65 games a season anymore yet he could still make a major contribution if managed well, like Giggs, needs to start doing yoga

A lot will depend on Frank himself. I seem to recall Franco Zola having a bad season (by his standards - possibly his penultimate season?), he worked hard through the mid season break and came back firing on all cylinders and scoring goals for fun. If Frank is prepared to put in the work (and he's exactly the sort of person that would) then yes he still has a lot to contribute. If not then cheerio.

I remember Lamps saying several times that he needs to train hard and play consistently to reach top form. I really don't know if he can be an effective squad player or a good impact sub... It's a big question.

Our recent signings Torres and Luiz are regarded as long term replacements for Drogba and Terry. So the question is.....who will be Lamps direct replacement? The two most likely canditates are world class, namely Kaka and Sneijder. Kaka would appear to be the choice because of his association with Ancelotti. A Lamps/Kaka swap? Would Jose buy it?

We'd be rather foolish to Swap Lamps for a player whose been out injured for the last 8 months. Besides I dont think Kaka is the same player anymore since he is behind Ozil in the pecking order. Add to it Kaka is not a box to box midfielder like Lampard and that would be critical to our balance.

The 23 year old Marek Hamsik is also a distinct possibility to replace Lamps. I read where Ancelotti has identified him as an excellent creative midfielder and a priority purchase.

Hamsik has been pretty good for Napoli this year though he has committed his future by signing a new contract (if I recall correctly). I was watching Porto in action last night and I felt Joao Moutinho is one player that we could do with in our midfield. He is a lot like Deco in terms of being a good passer and being creative but he was able to stand up to the physical stuff thrown at him.

everyone said at the start of last season he was on his last legs and he came finished the season with 20prem goals and almost 30 in all comps. i think giggs proved last night that if the ability is still there age isnt necessarily the end.

In a nutshell. Yes.

He may still have a part to play as a squad member but I think Epic was absolutely spot on with this observation;

"I think this summer his replacement has to be bought in and allow Lampard to become a squad player like Ballack was last season. Some how I don't think Lampard will accept that and nor does Ancelotti have the balls to do it... "

personally I'd like to see us sign pastore, and 2 wingers, go back to a 4 3 3, and build the team around, pace and trickey down the flanks, pastore' creative guile, and torres ( hopefully) lethal finishing.