Frank Lampard cannot wait for the season to start and it’s not just because he has been reunited with the manager he has relished playing under most. The return of Jose Mourinho to Chelsea has given Lampard good reason to be excited but it is the lack of personal pressure which has made the midfielder feel particularly upbeat. Twelve months ago, not only was he fearing that his Chelsea career was coming to an end but the 35-year-old also had the stress of trying to break Bobby Tambling’s club goal-scoring record on his mind. Both issues dominated the headlines and became an obsession for Chelsea fans. It was only in May that they were resolved in Lampard’s favour as he passed Tambling’s 202 mark with a brace against Aston Villa before being handed another 12-month deal a few days later. That, combined with the fact he had a full five weeks off, means Lampard is feeling fresher than ever going into his 13th season at Stamford Bridge. Speaking about the pursuit of a new contract and goals record being a thing of the past, he said: “I’m relaxed now. It’s a nice weight off my shoulders. With the staying thing, everyone knew I wanted to and we got there in the end. “And with the goals thing, I really wanted to do it last season because of the crowd build-up, everyone was talking about it. “It would have been on my mind in the summer and carried into this season so it was fantastic to do it. “I’m now just looking forward to enjoying the season. It’s a great appointment as manager, everyone knows that we all think that here. It’s going to be really exciting and I’m going into it with the same desire as all the others.”
Posted on: Mon, 15 Jul 2013 11:29:54 +0000
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