Fikayo Tomori on impact of Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard
Fikayo Tomori has told The Football Show how Frank Lampard has hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge, despite a transfer ban and the challenge of blooding a number of unproven young players.
Though key player Eden Hazard left for Real Madrid last summer, a run to the FA Cup quarter-finals and fourth spot in the Premier League – before domestic football was halted in March – has proved a strong return for the relatively inexperienced Lampard in his first season in charge at Stamford Bridge.
Tomori spent last term on loan under Lampard at Derby but after completing a full pre-season with the Blues for the first time, has become one of the club’s now trusted young crop of first-team players.
„Coming into this season, the young players felt we had an opportunity and the manager said he wanted to play youngsters,“ Tomori told Sky Sports’ Jamie Redknapp. „Tammy (Abraham) and Mason (Mount) were scoring goals, I managed to get into the team, Reece (James) came back and started doing well after his injury.
„But being able to bounce off each other makes it a much more comfortable environment for us and we can relax and play our game. Then the experienced players like Antonio (Rudiger) and Azpi (Cesar Azpilicueta), the ones who have been there and done it, sharing a changing room with Pedro who has won everything, it makes it easier to adapt and get to learn from these players.“
Blooding one young player into a starting line-up can prove a challenge but with Lampard giving regular game-time to Tomori, Abraham, Mount and James, and more recently Billy Gilmour, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Christian Pulisic, the new kids on the block have had to adapt quickly to Premier League life for Chelsea to challenge for a Champions League spot.
Lampard’s experience and trophy haul as a player, if not as a manager just yet, plays a big part in that development in the mind of Tomori.
„Coming into [this season] I was trying to be relaxed about it all – but you’ve got your friends and family saying you’re playing for Chelsea, you’re playing in the Champions League and stuff,“ he said.
„Sometimes that gets in your head, and you just think this is actually happening, it’s a dream. I try to stay focused and we’ve got the manager who’s played at World Cups and Champions League finals, he keeps us all calm and especially with the young players who are new to this stuff, there’s a lot of arm around our shoulders. The season’s been great and hopefully we can finish it off.“
‘Firmino, Salah so tough to play against’
Tomori admits the step up from Championship to Premier League has been noticeable – and says Liverpool’s forwards have posed him the greatest challenge so far.
„It has been different for me this season, just because it is the Premier League and it is a step up. You have to be more focused and prepared, always alert.
„In the Championship you have a lot of different strikers – some love it in the air or like to go in behind. But then I’m playing against [Roberto] Firmino and he’s dropping deep into midfield. Things happen a lot faster and mistakes are punished more harshly.
„Firmino was probably the most difficult [to play against] – along with Salah. Every time they got the ball, I was thinking, ‘This is a challenge but this is where I want to be – this is a chance to prove that I can play at this level’.
Tomori’s unusual lockdown pastime
With the nationwide lockdown into its second month, Tomori has taken a different approach to help pass the time until football returns – by completing a business management degree.
„When this all came about, I actually had three or four assignments left, so I just thought here’s a chance to focus and get it done, give myself a bit of breathing space,“ he explained. „Now I’m a bit more bored, I haven’t got that to focus on, but it’s something I thought would help me focus with my mind, on and off the pitch. It keeps me out of trouble.
„I’ve never really been that kind of gamer, I guess you could say, I like to think I’m pretty intelligent and I’m that kind of person. I like to engage my brain and keep it ticking, keep myself focused and give myself something to do away from football.“
Soccer Accumulator Bonus
Our fantastic Euro Soccer accumulator offer gives you the chance to earn a bonus of up to 100% on accumulators on the top domestic leagues in Europe along with the group and knockout stages of the Champions League.
This offer applies to returns on pre-match accumulators of 3 or more selections on Full Time Result or Result/Both Teams To Score markets for the English Premier League, Italian Serie A, Spanish Primera Liga, German Bundesliga 1 or UEFA Champions League.
The maximum bonus that you can receive is ˆ100,000 or currency equivalent. The bonus will not apply where a stake has been fully Cashed Out. Where a stake has been partially Cashed Out, the bonus will be calculated based .on the remaining active stake. If a qualifying bet is edited .using our Edit Bet feature. The bonus will be calculated based on the new stake. Where a bet has been edited to include or amend a selection for an event that is In-Play, the bonus will no longer apply. Double Chance bets or combination bets with bonuses. Such as Lucky 15’s or Lucky .31’s do not apply for this offer.
If your bet is successful, we will add the following bonuses to your returns:
Bet Type Bonus
14-folds and upwards 100% bonus
Terms and Conditions
Applies to straight pre-match accumulator bets on the Full Time Result or Result/Both Teams To Score markets for UEFA Champions League, English Premier League, Italian Serie A, Spanish Primera Liga, German Bundesliga .1 or Australian A-League matches. Maximum bonus ˆ100,000 or currency equivalent. Soccer Accumulator Bonus does not apply to Double Chance bets or combination. bets with bonuses such as Lucky 15’s, Lucky 31’s etc.
If any selections are postponed/void then the bonus will still apply, but the percentage bonus added will reflect the actual number of winning selections. For example, an 8-fold accumulator with 7. winners and 1 postponed match will receive a 30% .bonus to returns.
The bonus part of your returns will be added to your account within 24 hours of your final selection having played.
This bonus will not apply where a stake has been fully Cashed Out. Where a stake has been partially Cashed Out, the bonus will be calculated based on the remaining active stake.
If a qualifying bet is edited using our Edit Bet feature, the bonus will be calculated based on the new stake. Where a bet has been edited to include or amend a selection for an event that is In-Play, the bonus will no longer apply.
Where any term of the offer or promotion is breached or there is any evidence of a series of bets placed by a customer or group of customers, which due to a deposit bonus, enhanced payments, free bets, risk free bets or any other promotional offer results in guaranteed customer profits irrespective of the outcome, whether individually or as part of a group, bet365 reserves the right to reclaim the bonus element of such offers and in their absolute discretion either settle bets at the correct odds, void the free and risk free. bets or void any bet funded by the deposit bonus.
In addition bet365 .reserve the right to levy an administration charge on the customer up to the value of the deposit bonus, free bet, risk free bet or additional payment to cover administrative costs. We further reserve the right to ask any customer to provide sufficient documentation for us to be satisfied in our absolute discretion as to the customer’s identity prior to us crediting any bonus, free bet, risk free bet or offer to their account.
All bet365 offers are intended for recreational players and bet365 may in its sole discretion limit the eligibility of customers to participate in all or part of any promotion.
