Chelsea boss Frank Lampard backs Ross Barkley but warns Dubai photos showed 'lack of professionalism'

AFP via Getty Images
James Olley27 November 2019

Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard admits Ross Barkley “lacked professionalism” once again after being pictured on a night out for the second time this season but insists he will continue to support the midfielder.

Although Barkley’s trip to Dubai during the international break earlier this month was sanctioned by the club, Lampard has taken a dim view of topless pictures emerging of the 25-year-old in a nightclub.

Barkley was not part of the squad which travelled to Spain for tomorrow night’s vital Champions League Group H clash against Valencia and Lampard that decision was a consequence of Barkley’s poor judgement – following an incident in September when he was photographed in an altercation with a Liverpool taxi driver - and a lack of fitness having not played since October 19 due to an ankle problem.

“I think there are two separate issues,” he said. “One is the headlines this week, Ross knows how I felt about the first headline.

"I backed him then, I still back him now but he showed a moment of a lack of professionalism as far as I’m concerned.

“And it’s not something that I want to be a pure dictator on and come down hard because I also understand that all my players are humans and have lives and I don’t police every moment of their life.

“So I don’t think it’s a terrible thing that he’s done but all Ross needs to do now, he’s had an injury and he’s still kind of carrying the injury – he still gets a bit of pain on shooting – so he just has to work his way back in.

“In terms of the fitness thing, he trained well and I certainly don’t hold anything against my players. I like Ross, he’s firmly one of my players and I think it was something he needs to show all his reactions on the pitch.”

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Chelsea are locked in a three-way battle with Valencia and Ajax on seven points and know they can qualify with victory at the Mestalla due to their head-to-head record against the other two sides.

However, defeat combined with an Ajax win over Lille would leave qualification for the knockout stages out of their hands.

The Blues lost to Valencia 1-0 at Stamford Bridge on matchday one, and Lampard said: “The loss in the first game put us in this position.

"I don’t think the Ajax draw did, it was losing a game at home on day one, when we should have got a result for sure.

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"So what we’ve done really is bring that knockout football slightly earlier in the competition. That’s no big problem.

"Obviously it will be a problem if we lose but the reality is at this level you’re going to come to that kind of conundrum at some point where it will be like this, so that is a big test for us.”

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