New Chelsea deals would be best prize for Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole

Tournament that has given pair so much success could help them secure their futures at the club
14 February 2014

Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole have become accustomed to defending the FA Cup over the years. At Manchester City tomorrow, though, they will also be fighting to protect their futures in the game.

Between them they have won the trophy 11 times but defeat at the Etihad Stadium could see them make their last appearance in the competition.

With the intensity of a title run-in to manage and a last-16 Champions League tie against Galatasaray on the horizon, Jose Mourinho is expected to rotate his team and give these two veterans a rare opportunity to impress.

Both players are no longer first-team regulars, with Cole, in particular, spending much of his time on the substitutes’ bench.

The 33-year-old has started just half of Chelsea’s 38 matches this term, while Lampard, who turns 36 in June, has a slightly better record with 22.

Just like last year, the duo face being out of contract at the end of the season but there are far less murmurings of discontent among fans over the lack of new deals this time.

That may be because of Mourinho’s reassurance that agreements will be reached in due course but he showed similar resolve over the possibility of Juan Mata leaving and the midfielder now plies his trade at Old Trafford.

Lampard and Cole are still on more than £100,000 a week and, with Chelsea looking to younger men to provide a new era of success, the duo have to prove they should remain a part of it.They are bound to get lucrative offers to leave in the summer, most noticeably from the MLS, but these proud men may not want to give up the chance of competing at the highest level just yet.

A strong showing at the Etihad Stadium, where the club secured an impressive 1-0 victory in the League 11 days ago, would serve as a timely reminder to Mourinho and the hierarchy of their worth in big games.

It would also send out a message to England coach Roy Hodgson, who will name his World Cup squad in three months.

Hodgson already appears to have doubts over Cole’s role in the squad. Leighton Baines has filled the left-back position in recent matches, while Luke Shaw could get the chance to show what he can do in the friendly against Denmark next month.

Although Lampard’s experience is valued by Hodgson, competition for places in midfield is increasing because of the performances of players such as Ross Barkley and Adam Lallana.

As Lampard and Cole have proved many times before, though, no one should write these men off. Their record in the FA Cup alone is one to be admired and respected.

Cole has won the competition a record seven times, while Lampard is Chelsea’s top scorer in the FA Cup with 26 goals. He is also second to Ron  Harris in the list of the club’s highest appearance makers in the tournament with 58.

Lampard is keen to continue his love affair with the FA Cup, saying: “It was always a competition I grew up wanting to win badly, having watched it as a kid, and I am very proud of those [four] medals.

“Because I have had success in it, and some good days including semi-finals, when you look at your career the big FA Cup games always really stand out. The FA Cup does matter. I never understand teams who rotate a lot in the FA Cup because whether you are top of the League or fighting against relegation, it doesn’t help when you get knocked out of a competition as big as the FA Cup. It always helps when you go on a run and we take it seriously.”

City have their own good reason to rotate tomorrow because they host Barcelona in the first leg of their  Champions League last-16 tie three days later.

For Lampard and Cole, however, Mourinho’s decision to make changes could play a part in prolonging their careers for club and country.

Man City v Chelsea, tomorrow, 5.15pm, live on ITV1

Simon Johnson's combined Manchester City and Chelsea XI (4-2-3-1)

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