Football
Richard Jolly, ESPN.com writer 9y

Frank Lampard urging Manchester City teammates to aid Sergio Aguero

Frank Lampard believes the rest of the Manchester City players have to relieve the goalscoring burden on Sergio Aguero.

However, the veteran midfielder feels Aguero relishes the responsibility of being the man charged with supplying the goals for the Premier League champions.

Aguero's hat trick against Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday took his tally for the season to 17 in 18 games, and he has scored 14 of City's last 23 goals.

And Lampard told reporters: "I think people need to chip in at all times, but great strikers love the burden.

"They want the burden of scoring goals and I am sure he is as happy after the Bayern game as he will ever be that he is scoring goals and winning games.

"With the ability we have got in the squad, I think we will improve from here. We make no bones about not being on top, top form but we are still in the hunt and that is what good teams do -- they stay in the hunt. We'll try to step up and do the job in Rome."

Lampard feels Aguero is one of the finest forwards in the global game and, while the Argentine has always shied away from comparisons with his close friend Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the former England midfielder added: "He is in that bracket.

"He's top of the world football strikers. We're fortunate in the Premier League; last year we had Luis Suarez and now, not to discount anyone, we are looking at Aguero and Diego Costa as the two in-form strikers in world football.

"Obviously [they have] different styles, the pair of them. They are fantastic players -- and Sergio won us the game against Bayern."

Lampard thinks his long-time Chelsea teammate Didier Drogba is the best striker he has played with, but said he had been quick to rave about Aguero after arriving at City on loan.

He explained: "I am fortunate enough to have played with Didier Drogba, who for me was the greatest, but it is very hard to compare those two. Their styles are so different, but in terms of pure finishing, electric pace...

"In my first few days of training here, my friends and other people were asking: 'Who does this or that in training?' I said: 'This Aguero is just different class.' He has proved that. He can't stop scoring."

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