Chelsea legend Frank Lampard has expressed his opinion about which of the Blues stars can upset Barcelona ace Lionel Messi, ruining the Catalunya club’s plans of causing damage at Stamford Bridge.
Lampard revealed that the midfielder capable of doing exactly that is N’Golo Kante, as the Premier League champions plan to ensure Messi continues his goal scoring drought against them.
Chelsea’s highest scoring midfielder labels Messi as the best player in the world and admits plus Kante, Chelsea will need some magic to stop the Barcelona attack from getting into their rampaging best.
“Whoever is nearest to him has to take the responsibility to take that space because the minute you let him get his head up and run freely at you, you won’t get near him. I can say that from experience. There will be periods when you just have to back off. The problem is that being at home, there will be people wanting to see Chelsea have a bit of a go at them.
But their players are that good, you have to back off to deny them the space where they can really hurt you. It is a fine line for Chelsea. They need to sit back but at the same time put pressure on him so he doesn’t become relaxed on the ball. This is where I think N’Golo Kante will be key.
He is the one in Chelsea’s midfield with the abilities you need because he is so quick into the tackle. ‘But it is important all 11 press their opponents, starting with those players at the top of the pitch.’’
Frank Lampard, Evening Standard
Lampard was part of the Chelsea team that beat Barcelona on aggregate in 2012, advancing to the competition’s final to face Bayern Munich. The Blues will hope to fend off the competition Barcelona will provide, as they seek to go as far as possible in the Champions League, one of the only two trophies they have genuine possibility to win this season.
