The blueprint for a goal scoring midfielder

Frank Lampard - A Case Study

Frank Lampard spent two decades as a professional footballer, with a good portion of that time spent as one of the best attacking midfielders in the world. At Chelsea he would establish himself as a club legend, winning three league titles, four FA cups, two League Cups, the Champions League and the Europa League. The 177 goals he scored in the Premier League place him fourth on the all time list (Steven Gerrard being the only other midfielder in the top twenty, and still fifty goals behind his contemporary), and his 211 goals for Chelsea make him their all time top goalscorer. Just how did he, as a midfielder, exert so much influence in front of goal?

Rise to success

Lampard, looking back on his career in a 2018 Guardian interview, stated his ‘biggest talent’ to be his ‘work ethic and dedication’. Coming from a footballing background, with his father playing for West Ham and his extended family including the Redknapps, Lampard was imbued with natural footballing talent: however, Lampard would constantly strive to improve himself and develop his game to remain competitive, and it is this that he credits his success to. Lampard came to Chelsea before the Abramovich era, and the fact that he wasn’t replaced by a marquee signing as so many Chelsea players were at the time speaks volumes about his ability to adapt and improve himself; he would flourish in a team chalk full of superstars. With Mourinho arriving at the club in 2004, Lampard would take his game to a new level. Lampard himself states that, at the time, he didn’t have complete faith in Chelsea’s ability to compete at the very top level, Arsenal and Manchester United being the established heavyweights at the time and Chelsea being in the midst of a fifty year drought in pursuit of the League title. Mourinho would change that mindset, eliminating that morsel of self-doubt within Lampard. With a new winning mentality he would go on to have an exceptional season, one of his best in a Chelsea shirt, finishing as runner up in the Ballon D’Or. A winning mentality combined with an unshakeable work ethic are undoubtedly two of the most important factors contributing to Lampard’s rise to the top.

Goal scoring prowess

Lampard’s goal scoring record was truly exceptional. Only Alan Shearer, Wayne Rooney, Andy Cole and Sergio Aguero sit ahead of him on the Premier League all time goal scorers list, with Lampard averaging a goal every two and a half games during his ten prime seasons at Chelsea (reaching double digits in each of those ten seasons). This rate of scoring is unmatched by any other Premier League era midfielder save Ronaldo during his time at Manchester United - and strictly speaking Ronaldo was a winger with a far diminished defensive workload when compared to Lampard. This historic goal scoring rate is a great accomplishment, achieved through a combination of work rate and footballing IQ. Lampard’s signature was a delayed run into the box; with the forward having dragged the centre backs out of position with a run to the near post, Lampard would arrive late and slot the goal into the back of the net. The ability to do this relied on his intelligence.

Having awareness of where players are in the box and picking the right run based on anticipating both where and when the ball will come are skills based both on tactical maturity (as one has heightened awareness of the game surrounding them and is able to quickly decide the optimal course of action) and chemistry with team mates. These are both skills that you yourself can work on; our other blog post on decision making may help you on your way. Spending more time with your teammates both on and off the pitch will help with your team’s chemistry, with a better relationship among teammates leading to a greater ability to anticipate behaviour on the football field. Work rate also had a role to play; where other players would tire at the end of the ninety minutes, Lampard would have the fitness (through dedicated training) to keep making those runs into the opposition box until the final whistle.

Lasting legacy to success

Lampard would play in a variety of midfield positions all the way through his career, even operating as a supporting striker at times. He would excel in all of these roles through a combination of the attributes laid out in this article on top of countless other ones; you yourself can replicate what he achieved through hard work, an elite mentality and a development of your footballing intelligence.

How can you enhance your footballing intelligence through playing in different roles and positions?