LAMPARD RE-ITERATES THAT NO ONE IS SAFE.

He's been there, done it and seen it all before but Frank Lampard comes into every single pre season the same, knowing that he has to work hard to impress the manager just like anyone else.

At 34 now, Lampard has been a mainstay of our Chelsea side and if you think about it, he has seen the revolution of our club and of the playing staff.

After winning the Champions League you wouldn't blame Lampard for wanting to take it easier this season, accept that he isn't going to play every single game and to see out his Chelsea career like most players coming to the end of their contracts.

However, this is Frank Lampard we are talking about and he is just as determined now as he was when he first signed for the club.

Speaking of the new signings and pre season, Lampard said:

“We are playing for our season at this stage, regardless of last year we have to perform at a high level to stay in the team.

This year we are a different team with new players coming in, It will have to settle down. But there’s an excitement about our team this year. Last year we proved ourselves to be a great team and a great unit with what we achieved.”

Coming to the end of last season, I wrote THIS post about Lampard and how Roberto Di Matteo changed his role in the team. Forget Lampard being the box to box midfielder scoring 20+ goals a season as that won't happen anymore.

Lampard had been deployed by RDM as one of the two holding midfielders next to John Mikel Obi and Lampard's influence was immense.

We all know Lampard will get back and work hard defensively and will organise the midfield around him, but it was also with the ball he became even more of an influence. Knocking the ball about with freedom, starting counter attacks and the killer pass came into Lampard's game even more and he became just as important in that position as he had going forward.

RDM and Lampard both know that he can be that influence again this season but, as Lampard says himself, he needs to work hard in this pre season to impress the manager and earn the right to be named in the first eleven that travel to Wigan for the opening day of the season.

That's just Frank Lampard all over though isn't it. A credit to the game!.

KTBFFH!