I owe it all to Sven insists Frank Lampard ahead of joining 100 club

 
Simon Johnson9 September 2013

With Frank Lampard on the verge of reaching a milestone he cannot help but think of all the people who helped him along the way.

Tomorrow night’s vital World Cup qualifier against Ukraine in Kiev should see Lampard become just the eighth Englishman to reach the magical 100-cap mark.

It is a moment that at times the 35-year-old never thought would be possible and certainly not achievable by himself alone.

Lampard has freely discussed the roles his father, Frank senior, and uncle, Harry Redknapp, have played in his career.

The midfielder has also stressed in the past how Chelsea managers Claudio Ranieri and Jose Mourinho were significant too.

But when it came to making an impact for England, it took a Swede’s intervention for Lampard’s international ambitions to be realised.

The name Sven-Goran Eriksson can spark a variety of emotions among the nation’s fanbase, yet for Lampard he only commands respect for the much-maligned manager.

Eriksson was accused by many of wasting the talent during the era of the so-called ‘golden generation’ and was paid a fortune by the Football Association between 2001-06.

It took some time for Lampard to make a breakthrough under the former Lazio coach having been handed his England debut by Kevin Keegan against Belgium in 1999.

Indeed, for the first two years of Eriksson’s reign, he became accustomed to playing in friendlies but watching from the sidelines as an unused squad member for the games that really mattered.

That is until he was selected for his first competitive match against Slovakia in a Euro 2004 qualifier in June 2003 and Lampard has been virtually an ever present with the Three Lions since then.

He told Standard Sport: “When it comes to a coach who had a big role in my England career, Sven-Goran Eriksson always helped me hugely because he put a lot of confidence in me and broke me into the team pre-Euro 2004.

“There wasn’t anything in particular that Sven said to me that was inspirational apart from saying, ‘You are in the team’, but that was more than enough to provide a huge lift.

“You have to remember that at the time England’s midfield had been well established with players like Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes so it meant a lot to me to play in the first team alongside them.

“He really gave me my chance, gave me my self-belief at international level. I will always remember that with high regard.”

To say Lampard has not always been held in such high esteem is an understatement.

Frank Lampard of England scores his team's first goal to make the score 1-1 during the International Friendly match between England and the Republic of Ireland at Wembley Stadium in London, England. (Photo by Scott Heavey/Getty Images)

His time at West Ham turned sour amid accusations of ­preferential treatment due to family connections, while an £11million transfer to Chelsea in 2001 raised more than a few eyebrows among the Blues following until the goals started arriving with remarkable ­regularity.

After being named England Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005 by the fans, he then became a victim of their frustration, so much so there was a point where he considered quitting international football in 2008.

One would think that 11 major honours, including the Champions League and three Premier League titles, with Chelsea might appease the doubters but walk into a pub outside SW6 and you can find plenty of willing volunteers to dispute the extent of his talent.

However, even the harshest of critics cannot dispute Lampard’s determination to succeed.

The last year alone he has demonstrated an incredible ability to bounce back from adversity.

Some were writing his football obituary for Chelsea and England at various points in 2012 but 2013 saw Lampard become his club’s record goalscorer and earn a new contract, while also enjoying a renaissance with the national side under Roy Hodgson.

He added: “This year has been a good one for me as I’ve seen a bit of a reversal from what was being said at times last year. It’s nice to have been able to keep to a [decent] level — I have worked hard to do that.

“I have managed to keep playing regularly for Chelsea and for England, so I have been really pleased.

“Competition and criticism is always there but that’s normal and you just try and respond to it.

“I have just tried to keep my head down on the England front. I got an injury which ruled me out of the European Championship but I always knew I wanted to come back and do things for England.

“With Chelsea the contract [situation] was very drawn out, I just wanted to focus on my game and play as well as I could to change that too. That’s what you have to do.

“I’d love to think that 2014 will be even better for club and country.

“Obviously reaching the World Cup one last time would be a great achievement in itself but there is a lot of work to do before then.”

And you can be rest assured, no one will work harder to make sure England do just that.

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