Sport nationFormer Everton manager Frank Lampard has admitted the club had made “a lot of mistakes” in the transfer market prior to his arrival at Goodison Park. In a candid interview with JOE, the 45-year-old reflected on the challenges he faced during his year-long tenure with the Toffees.
Inheriting an unbalanced squad
Lampard took charge of Everton in January 2022, succeeding the unpopular Rafael Benitez. The club was mired in a relegation battle, having won just one of their previous 14 Premier League matches.
“When I went for the interview, they had been struggling with the manager who had left and there was a lot of negativity – the fans clearly didn’t like the manager,” Lampard recalled. “I went in there with a real football plan in the interview, how I wanted to play, got the job.”
However, upon assuming the role, Lampard quickly realized the extent of the problems at Everton. “It was clear a lot of mistakes had been made in recruitment. It was an unbalanced squad, players on long contracts, five centre-backs but not strong in this area or that area.”
Everton had spent over £500 million on new signings under the ownership of Farhad Moshiri, but the scattergun approach to recruitment had left the squad bloated and lacking in key areas. Lampard’s predecessors, including Ronald Koeman, Sam Allardyce, Marco Silva, Carlo Ancelotti and Benitez, had all struggled to get the best out of the players at their disposal.
Battling against the odds
Despite the challenges, Lampard managed to guide Everton to Premier League survival in dramatic fashion. A 3-2 comeback victory over Crystal Palace in the penultimate game of the 2021-22 season, sealed by Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s 85th-minute winner, sparked wild celebrations at Goodison Park.
“Credit to the whole club in the end. The fans played a huge part, the players dug in, we went to a back five, became more compact, harder to beat, engaged Goodison and created one of the best nights along with Munich (when he won the Champions League as a player with Chelsea in 2012) is staying up with Everton. It was a moment of huge elation and I was fortunate enough to play a part in it.”
However, Lampard knew that Everton’s problems ran deep and that there would be more difficulties ahead. Financial Fair Play (FFP) restrictions limited the club’s ability to strengthen the squad in the summer of 2022, with Richarlison’s £60 million sale to Tottenham Hotspur the only major source of funds.
“I think I then knew there were more difficulties coming. FFP was there, we knew Richarlison would leave, we could bring in some players but the net spend was not far off zero. We couldn’t really move forward, I wanted to change the way we play.”
Injuries and inconsistency
Everton’s 2022-23 campaign got off to a promising start, with the Toffees winning two and drawing one of their opening four matches. However, a series of injuries to key players, including Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Nathan Patterson, derailed their progress.
“Tarkowski came in on a free, Conor Coady came on loan, we brought in a couple of players. But as we tried to progress, Dominic got injured so we played Neal Maupay and he struggled to get in there so we were playing without an effective number nine.”
Lampard’s side would win just one of their next 11 Premier League games, slipping into the relegation zone. Despite a brief upturn in form around the World Cup break, Everton’s inconsistency continued into the new year. A run of six defeats in eight matches, culminating in a dismal 2-0 loss at fellow strugglers West Ham United, sealed Lampard’s fate. He was dismissed on January 23, 2023, with Everton 19th in the table.
Sympathy for Dyche
Lampard’s successor, Sean Dyche, managed to keep Everton up by the skin of their teeth last season. However, despite an improvement in their points tally this term, the Toffees find themselves embroiled in yet another relegation scrap. They are currently winless in 11 Premier League games and just four points above the drop zone.
Lampard has sympathy for Dyche, believing that the long-standing issues at Everton are still hampering the club’s progress. “The problem for me, with Everton now – I have quite a big feeling for Everton because I really enjoyed being there for a year – there are similar problems and mistakes that have been made are still kind of there. I’ve watched them a lot.”
“People can so easily comment on Sean Dyche or they haven’t won in this many games – it’s not easy to turn it. A great club trying to make up for and that will be a process, in my opinion, again.”
Lessons learned
Despite the disappointing end to his Everton tenure, Lampard believes he learned valuable lessons from the experience. “As a coaching lesson for me, it was great,” he admitted.
The former England international, who began his managerial career with Derby County before taking charge of Chelsea, has been out of work since leaving Goodison Park. However, he remains eager to return to the dugout and put into practice the knowledge he gained during his time on Merseyside.
“I never imagined myself managing Everton and I don’t mean that disrespectfully, it’s the opposite. I grew up when Everton were a great team in the mid-1980s and was very aware of the huge history of the club and a great fan base.”
Lampard’s honest assessment of his Everton reign sheds light on the deep-rooted problems at the club. While he may not have been able to turn the Toffees’ fortunes around in the long run, his ability to galvanize the team and fanbase in the face of adversity should not be underestimated.
As Everton continues to navigate choppy waters, the hope will be that the mistakes of the past can be rectified and that a clear strategy for sustainable success can be put in place. Only then will the club be able to recapture its former glories and provide its long-suffering supporters with the success they crave.
Citations:
[1] https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/sean-dyche-everton-manager-phrases-26097725
[2] https://www.toffeeweb.com/club/managers/Lampard.php
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafael_Ben%C3%ADtez
[4] https://www.toffeeweb.com/season/23-24/news/44024.html
[5] https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/frank-lampard/profil/trainer/60805
[6] https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12701734/rafael-benitez-exclusive-former-everton-boss-says-it-was-impossible-to-manage-club-his-way-due-to-liverpool-ties
[7] https://www.justarsenal.com/every-2022-23-epl-team-graded-a-f-what-grade-would-you-give-arsenal/341874
[8] https://www.premierleague.com/managers/49883/Frank-Lampard/overview
[9] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFiVUr-KoBQ
[10] https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/2023/8/31/23853645/doncaster-1-2-everton-carabao-cup-recap-three-takeaways-beto-danjuma
[11] https://www.euronews.com/2023/01/23/frank-lampard-sacked-as-manager-of-premier-league-club-everton
[12] https://www.skysports.com/football/news/12040/12516803/rafael-benitez-everton-sack-manager-after-just-six-and-a-half-months-in-charge-following-norwich-defeat
[13] https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/how-everton-can-realise-borussia-18207629
[14] https://www.si.com/soccer/2023/01/23/everton-fires-frank-lampard-manager-premier-league
[15] https://www.reddit.com/r/Everton/comments/18gsh3d/was_rafa_benitez_the_worst_manager_in_evertons/
[16] https://manballandall.com
[17] https://www.everton.news/conor-coady-makes-honest-claim-about-frank-lampard-when-he-was-manager-of-everton/
[18] https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41541146
[19] https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/frank-lampard-sacked-everton-manager-29029982
[20] https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Lampard
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