Ross Barkley enjoying his time under Maurizio Sarri

Barkley came over to the Blues in January from Everton but only made two appearances under Antonio Conte. This year, the 24-year old has featured in Maurizio Sarri’s lineup on the left flank, starting Chelsea’s first two Premier League games.

In a recent interview with The Telegraph, Ross Barkley voiced that he’d like to hit the 20-goal mark as a Chelsea player, just like fellow Englishman and former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard did for many years in a Blues uniform. Lampard had five consecutive seasons where he scored 20 goals or more with Chelsea, a huge feat that Barkley would like to reach one day.

The young midfielder has yet to score in a Chelsea uniform, but he has looked very good for the Blues on the left wing as a very hard-working player that plays with high intensity. With some very talented competition at his position in the newly signed Mateo Kovacic, Danny Drinkwater, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Cesc Fabregas, Barkley will definitely need to work hard to keep his starting spot.

A fresh start under new manager

Despite Chelsea acquiring Kovacic on loan from Real Madrid, I think if Barkley continues to play quality football he will be Sarri’s number one choice over the Croatian. The Italian manager has given Barkley the chance to be in the starting XI and he’s done nothing but impress.

He will continue play alongside Jorginho and Kante in the midfield unless he goes into a bad spell. But based on his interviews and such, he really seems like a confident young man who believes in his ability. Having belief in your talents is so important and is half the battle, and he does carry that quality.

Setting a big goal like becoming a 20 goals a season type of player like Frank Lampard might seem unrealistic, but he does have the talent to become a goal-scorer for Chelsea. The most Barkley has scored in a season before this year is twelve, so 20 is definitely a possibility in the future.

Coming in last season at the time he did was tough because Conte never wanted to give him a chance. I think getting a new manager was such a good move for Chelsea in general, but also opened up a great opportunity for Ross Barkley to get some playing time and prove himself.

Sarri has clearly taken a liking to the young Englishman because he’s been a very instrumental player in Chelsea’s midfield. He’s been connecting very well with his teammates, posing a threat on the attack, and coming very close to scoring several times for the Blues, while also making some important tackles in his own half.

Zola has helped Barkley’s development

Former Chelsea icon Giancarlo Zola, now the Blues assistant coach, has been working exclusively with Barkley after training sessions, working specifically on finishing and free kicks. Zola has been sharing tips with Barkley that made him such an outstanding goal-scorer in a Chelsea uniform from 96′-03′.

Barkley has been compared to Frank Lampard many times thanks to a very similar style of play in the midfield, and he hopes that he can become the type of player Lampard was at Stamford bridge.

"“Frank is an example for me. He joined the club at a similar age to me and was at a similar stage of his career. He was an idol of mine from when I was a young lad, watching Champions League games and seeing the goals he scored. If I could achieve half of what he did here, then that would be a success”, Barkley told the Sun."

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For now, Barkley is focused on securing a starting spot in Chelsea’s lineup. Based on his first two performances, expect to see the 24-year old feature in Maurizio Sarri’s starting eleven this Sunday against Newcastle.

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