Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic has said that manager Frank Lampard wants him to become a regular source of goals for the club.
The 25-year-old ended a goal drought of more than 1,000 days when he struck against Valencia in the Champions League a fortnight ago, then netted against Everton in the Premier League at the weekend.
It had been nearly three years since he had previously found the target, while playing with Real Madrid in the 2016-17 season.
During his playing days, Blues boss Lampard was a master of arriving at the perfect time in the box to score goals, netting more than anyone else for the club, and he is hoping to add a similar edge to the game of the former Real Madrid man.
“He has joked about that before but I also think he was being serious, because he knows I should score more goals,” he told the club’s official website.
“He has been preparing me to arrive late in the box to score more goals and it is just a consequence of training hard and preparing myself.
“I think mentally I have become stronger this season. Last season I was obsessed a little bit with not scoring because people were always asking when I was going to score.
“This summer I was just focused on preparing well and having a good season for the team and, as I said before, the goals are just consequences of training well and preparing myself.”
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Meanwhile, Kovacic’s cock-a-snook celebration caught the eye and brought much discussion as to who it might be aimed at. The truth has a heart-warming side to it.
“It’s actually for my nieces. I have two nieces, one of which has Down’s Syndrome, and they do that [hand action] with me a lot. I love her a lot and the celebration was for them,” he said.
“It’s nice when you score and you can celebrate with the family. They have waited a long time but now I hope I can continue like that.”
Kovacic will want to remain on the goal trail against Lille in the Champions League on Tuesday as the Blues seek to secure progression against an opponent already eliminated