NEW BOSS HAS ALREADY THERE’S NO Frank must act quickly
AFTER winning a competitive race for the Everton manager’s job, the real work starts now for Frank Lampard – and there are several pressing issues facing him. He has to get the fans onside. Having replaced the deeply unpopular Rafa Benitez (below), Lampard is already guaranteed a warm welcome from supporters.
But, as is always the case in football, early results will dictate just how long that honeymoon period lasts.
Even if he struggles to get his team playing the right way in the immediate aftermath of his appointment, Lampard needs to get wins on the board to lift the gloom around Goodison.
A strong run of results is a must to buy him time to make the necessary long-term changes with the blessing of the supporters.
Next he has to bolster the midfield. Even before Abdoulaye Doucoure’s recent hamstring injury, Everton were already looking at buying midfielders this January – but the loss of the Frenchman for up to a month has turned such a move into a necessity.
Ruben Loftus-cheek is one target who has been touted for a loan, and
Lampard’s Chelsea links could help grease the wheels on that.
But if that particular deal proves beyond them, Everton must do all they can to find a solution for their engine room woes.
Then Lampard must sort the defence. Benitez’s biggest successes in management came in building some of the meanest.
Unfortunately, those defensive principles never seemed to take hold at Everton, where just three of his 22 games in charge ended in a clean sheet.
Teams who concede with such regularity tend to go down – and the Toffees are in danger on that front.
They need to make themselves hard to beat as soon as possible under their new boss – the attacking flair can wait.
In taking three wins from his first three home games in charge, Benitez appeared to have cracked David Moyes’ old formula for making Everton difficult to beat on their own patch.
However, the seven home fixtures since have brought one win, one draw and five defeats.
The Toffees most looked like their old selves during a hardfought win over Arsenal in December that saw the old ground rocking. Putting on the sort of performance that creates such atmospheres is vital if Everton are to move away from the danger zone.
Lampard will also need to blood youngsters.the perceived misuse of Anthony Gordon was just one of the issues that led to friction between Benitez and Everton supporters.
Many fans thought the Scouse teenager was unfairly subbed several times ahead of more experienced team-mates.
As a manager who showed he is not scared to trust youth at Chelsea, Lampard would do well to make better use of the young talent at his disposal at Everton.