Following last night's game at Fulham, Claudio Ranieri spoke of the quality and strength of Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard, supporting his claim for an England place.

Cladio Ranieri believes Frank Lampard is the man to inspire England's Euro 2004 qualifying campaign.

Sven Goran Eriksson's assistant tord Grip watched from the stands as Lampard performed well in Chelsea's goalless draw with Fulham.

And Ranieri believes Lampard should be in the England team when their qualifiers kick off next month.

He said, "Frank deserves it in my opinion. He's a very good, fantastic player and very intelligent. He has quality and strength - and put in a good performance."

Claudio was keen to stress the improvements Frank has made upon last season knowing, "when to get forward and when to stay back."

With Frank continuing to shine in his preferred central midfield position, everything is looking good for both Chelsea and possibly (if they know a good thing when they see it) England!


email me: stevefurlong@chelsea-mad.co.uk