Frank Lampard needs to lead Chelsea from the front against West Ham

Frank Lampard

The word “legend” is thrown around far too much, especially in football. But one man has etched himself into the memories of Chelsea fans for years to come. His prolific goalscoring record from midfield eclipses that of so many of his peers. Frank Lampard is a Blues legend.

But, at 35, the England international has already seen his best years in footballing terms, and recent signs show that he could soon be edged out of the picture at Stamford Bridge altogether.

Captain John Terry, who – like Lampard – forms on of Chelsea’s old guard, has been in majestic form this season; almost certainly down to the return of Jose Mourinho. Lampard, though, has been overtaken by some of the Blues’ wealth of young midfield talent.

In attacking terms – where Lampard has been so dangerous for Chelsea over the years – Oscar and Eden Hazard are way ahead of their 35-year-old team-mate, with higher Squawka Attacking Performance Scores and registering more key passes.

In front of goal the story is the same. In March 2013 Lampard registered his 200th goal for the club, which is an absolutely astonishing return for a midfielder. But this season he hasn’t scored in the league since the opening day against Hull; just one goal in 11 appearances. Oscar and Hazard, meanwhile, have four apiece in the top-flight.

This could be down to Mourinho moving Lampard further back. He usually now slots alongside the likes of Ramires or John Obi Mikel, which allows the creative players in front some room to manoeuvre.

In the 2-2 draw with West Brom, Lampard spent almost 29% of his time in the middle sector of the park, while his action inside the penalty area is so minimal it’s hardly worth mentioning.

Frank Lampard Heat Map vs West Brom

What makes worrying viewing there, though, is how little Lampard tracked back. While Ramires had 21% of his game just in front of the Chelsea defence, the England man had almost half that. So he neither filled the role of an attacking midfielder or a box-to-box one.

Mourinho still favours Lampard and you get the sense he will be given more chances than most, but a big performance at West Ham on Saturday is absolutely vital. With the likes of Mark Noble, Kevin Nolan and Mohamed Diame, the Hammers have plenty of big characters in the middle who will want to bully Chelsea into submission and snuff out their creative spark.

Lampard needs to work hard between boxes, giving Oscar, Hazard and co. an extra outlet going forward, while also providing a strong barrier further back to stop West Ham feeding their own skilful players, such as Matt Jarvis and the much-admired Ravel Morrison.

There is definitely a role for Lampard at Chelsea; it’s just changed. But with so many midfielders at Stamford Bridge eager for a regular run in the side, he has to prove it soon.