Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has admitted that he is extremely pleased with Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic but also highlighted that he should be able to score goals on a regular basis.
The 25-year-old arrived at Stamford Bridge back in the summer of 2018 and had a mixed season at under former Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri in his debut term with the club and came under some criticism as well.
But this season, under the guidance of Frank Lampard, Kovacic has excelled tremendously showing great understanding and partnership alongside Jorginho in midfield with French midfielder N’golo Kante being out injured for most of the campaign.
But the 41-year-old Lampard has stated that due to Kovacic having a steady run of games and starting on a permanent basis, it has boosted the midfielder’s confidence and he feels more at home at West London. The Englishman told reports, “I think it’s commonplace for players coming from a foreign league to the Premier League to have a period of settling in And I think with Kovacic I thought there were some really good signs and positives from him last year. The fact he was changing in and out of the team is never easy, I get that. And now as a manager, I get that even more. I do think he feels at home now”
But despite the massive improvements in his game, there is still a goal drought for Kovacic as the World Cup finalist is unable to find the back of the net for Chelsea. Therefore, Lampard also went on to explain by saying that Kovacic must score more goals and that is one area that he should improve on his game, When asked whether he wants Kovacic to score a competitive goal since January 2017 he replied, “Yes. I do [want him to score more] and he does, the quality he has shown in big parts this season, and I think the natural progression is goals and we are working on that one.”
