Mateo Kovacic played some decent football for Chelsea last season which is why the Blues chose to make his loan deal permanent during the summer.
But this season under the guidance of Frank Lampard, the midfielder has totally turned into a new beast and right now he is a regular in the first XI alongside Jorginho and Mason Mount.
Before the international break, Mateo Kovacic has featured in each and every Premier League game for the Blues which just goes on to show that the manager currently rates him above Ross Barkley.
Last season, the Croatian played in tandem with Barkley and this was one of the big factors why the former Real Madrid player failed to get his confidence back.
But this was not the only reason why Mateo Kovacic failed to make an impact as he has revealed that Lampard also played a key role in helping him regain his peak form.
“My game is to open spaces for other people,” Kovacic told the Chelsea website[as quoted by Evening Standard].
“It’s a big strength and I have felt I am trying it a lot more because we play a little bit different football to last year. Now we are more direct, more aggressive, we just try things we didn’t try last year. I feel better.
“I think my best position is in a midfield two.
“I can play as well in a midfield three, but in the two I feel maybe more comfortable with more freedom. But in the end, the formation doesn’t matter too much.”
While Mateo Kovacic has enjoyed a free run of matches up until now but it will be interesting to see how the manager handles the return of N’Golo Kante.
Kante had been sidelined for most of the season due to various injuries but now the Frenchman has returned back to full fitness meaning he will be itching to get back into the first XI.
So it will be sort of a headache for the Chelsea boss and many believe that Mateo Kovacic will be the one who will fall down the pecking order in order to accommodate the French World Cup winner.
