TAMMY ABRAHAM has been pinching ideas from his peers to prepare for the biggest game of his career.
Chelsea’s burgeoning striker has scored 12 goals already in his first season in the big time and admits he has been spying on the best in the business to help him along.
Tammy Abraham has been watching YouTube clips of great strikers to improve his gameCredit: Reuters
Chelsea are the filling of a three-team sandwich all on seven points with Champions League Group H on a knife edge.
A third successive away win would see them through to the knockout stages with a game to spare at the expense of tonight’s opposition Valencia.
Abraham said: “In my spare time I go on Youtube and watch all the best strikers in the world play in this competition, stealing their ideas and adding it to my game.
“I watch so many. Harry Kane, Aguero, Firmino, these are Premier League strikers obviously but also Lewandowski and all sorts and players who have played in this competition before.
“For many of us it is a dream come true, so we don’t want that dream to stop now. We want to keep going, keep pushing, keep doing the best we can and like I said tomorrow we have to just leave it all out on the field.
“Tomorrow is the biggest game of the season so far and you have to let that joy, that childhood dream you’ve always thought of just go for a minute and focus on the game.”
When pushed on whether this game is the summit of his career so far, without hesitation, Abraham said: “I would say so, definitely, I would say so.”
Abraham says he watches Spurs skipper Harry KaneCredit: AFP or licensors
Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski is also on his watchlistCredit: AFP or licensors
Chelsea’s team this evening in the spectacular Mestalla Stadium will not look that different to that beaten 1-0 at home by Valencia when many of the players were making their debuts in European competition.
But inside they have come on in leaps and bounds, defying expectations.
Whatever the result tonight it will be a maturing experience for a young side.
Abraham said: “Before the first Valencia game, Mason, Fikayo and I were warming up together and it didn’t feel real yet, that we were all in the Champions League together.
“Hearing the Champions League music in the background, we all said together that we were in the Championship the season before. So it is a dream come true for us.
“It was the little details obviously in the game that cost us the game.
“Then we have had to learn and develop our game in different areas as well.
“This is an important tournament for us. Tomorrow is a massive game as well so we have to focus and leave it all on the pitch.
“It’s time for work now, maybe when you’re in bed and you’re dreaming then maybe it can hit you but once you’re on the pitch and you hear the music then you have to be focused.
“We know coming here isn’t going to be easy. The fans are going to be supporting Valencia all the way through so we have to use that as fuel, stick together and leave it all out there.”
Abraham has ten Premier League goals – more than Aguero and Kane, two of the players he watches on the net for inspiration.
Lampard has already been on some hair-raising journeys with his players in their first season together. The incredible comeback to draw 4-4 against Ajax is immortalised.
He said: “They’ve shown in a lot of moments over this season they’re up to certain challenges. The Champions League has given us different ones because if anybody’s going to take a group like this lightly they’ll be quickly addressed to know how difficult this level of football is.
“Losing the first game against Valencia gave us difficulties. It’s meant we’ve had to go to two difficult stadiums and win. But a lot of work remains to be done, so another challenge in front of them.
Sergio Aguero is another player Tammy Abraham has been studyingCredit: PA:Press Association
As is Liverpool star Roberto FirminoCredit: EPA
“Whether they’re young or not I think we have quality in this team to take on a lot of teams in Europe.
“What happened on the night, I felt we were the better team. We conceded a goal. My major feeling after the first game was the lesson will always be, whether you’re 18 or 32, in the Champions League if you sleep for one moment you can lose a game at this level.
“That was the lesson in the first game. Since then of course we’ve shown moments where we’ve gone to Lille and Ajax and got results at tough places.
”We’ll need to take every bit of concentration, every bit of focus into this game.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
