England captain hands rivals a rather unflattering compliment

When prompted to say something nice about Liverpool ahead of their clash at Stamford Bridge this Sunday, John Terry decided to point out the similarities between the Red’s recent performances and the way Chelsea used to play under Jose Mourinho.

It’s clear that the Chelsea captain meant it as a compliment but with Rafael Benitez’s mentality already largely considered negative and rival fans frequently accusing Liverpool of having a never-ending supply of luck, the comparison with a team who mirrored those qualities for over three years won’t help shake it off. Terry said:

“One thing that has impressed me so far is

Chelsea man poses a far greater goal threat

Despite being voted England’s best performer in 2004 and 2005 by fans, there seems little doubt that if Frank Lampard faced Steven Gerrard in a popularity contest to determine which player should start for England, he would lose out. But our friends at chickendinner have discovered that if you want a goalscoring midfielder, Lampard should always be first choice:

INTERNATIONAL GOAL RATIO
Having scored fourteen times in 64 international appearances, Lampard averages 0.22 goals a game for England. This record is superior to Gerrard’s. The Liverpool midfielder has scored thirteen times for his country in 68 appearances, giving him an average of 0.19 goals a game.
Winner: Lampard

WORLD CUP QUALIFYING
Lampard’s goalscoring form in the World Cup 2006 qualifying campaign gives him an even bigger advantage. In that campaign he scored five goals, compared to Gerrard’s two and Lampard finished as England’s top goalscorer.
Winner: Lampard

INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENTS
At the actual tournament it was a different story