Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has said that Ross Barkley is the first-choice penalty-taker for the Blues. The England international came on as a second-half substitute during the recent Champions League meeting against Valencia and he took control of the ball after the Blues were handed with a late penalty in the 87th minute of the game.

However, the former Everton star happened to only to find the woodwork with his spot kick and that led to the speculation whether he was the first-choice for the penalty-taking duties ahead of Jorginho and Willian. Speaking in a press conference, Lampard clarified that Barkley did not make a fuss of the situation and it was quite clear that he was the first-choice penalty-taker, he told: “Ross is the penalty taker, was in pre-season and was when he came on. I don’t know what the conversation was, but Jorginho and Willian were the takers until Ross came on.”

The Blues dominated the possession and shot statistics during the recent European clash against Los Che but they could not make the difference when it mattered. Ultimately, Rodrigo bagged the opening goal for the Spanish club with a one-time finish from a sublime Daniel Parejo assist and that split the difference between the teams on the night.

The west London outfit may have started their Champions League campaign on a disappointing note but they still have the genuine chance of reaching the knockouts with five more group stage games left. Their immediate focus should turn to the Premier League where they have a tough-looking game against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.

Lampard’s side gave the Reds plenty to think about during the European Super Cup last month where they only lost through penalties and it remains to be seen whether they can repeat the same level of performance this weekend. Liverpool are currently at the top of the table with a seven-point advantage over the Blues.