Lamps relishing battle
Sunday, 05 February, 2006
Player of the Year Frank Lampard is confident he will win his tussle with Steven Gerrard this afternoon.
Frank Lampard says being named England Player of the Year for 2005 will give him extra confidence as he goes head to head with runner-up Steven Gerrard this afternoon.
Lampard was delighted to finish top of TheFA.com poll for the second year in a row with 29 per cent of votes, while Gerrard snapped up 18 per cent. And now England’s two favourite sons are ready to do battle in the Premiership.
Top of the table Chelsea, with Lampard in midfield, face ever-improving Liverpool, with Gerrard at the helm, in a 4pm kick-off at Stamford Bridge - and Lampard says his latest award has left him on a high.
He said: "It was a great honour. It was great to win it the first year after the Euros and it’s a massive honour to do it again. Personal awards like that are great for you, they are a great confidence booster. Especially when they are voted for by England fans who have gone all over the world to see you play. I’m really pleased with the way I am performing at the minute."
Lampard knows it won’t be an easy task to beat Liverpool, however, and has every respect for his Three Lions team-mate Gerrard.
He said: "I rate him very highly, I rate him right at the top and I think he is a fantastic midfield player. He has an all-round game and is the type of midfield player I like to watch. He’s not just attacking, not just defending but the type of player who helps the team in all aspects. When people ask me about who are the top midfielders in the Premiership, Steven Gerrard is always one of the first names I say.
"It will be a good battle between us and of course it’s one I want to win. But it’s a hard one to call as to how the match is going to go. When they come to our place Liverpool normally play very tight and they try and hit balls up to Peter Crouch when they can and play off the second balls he gives them. I’m sure they will come with confidence and a will to win, but we’ll be the same.
"There’s more necessity for Liverpool to win the game to try and close the gap at the top of the league than there is for us to win it, I realise that. But we’ll play to win the game from the start anyway."