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| photo credit: BBC news |
So, Everton aren't doing great right now.
Fans were mostly excited by the appointment of Lampard, as well as the signings he made in a short amount of time, pulling both Dele Alli and Donny Van de Beek over to Merseyside. Though it hasn't exactly been smooth sailing for the first few months.
Everton are hanging above relegation, and the teams they are bordering have potential to pick up points and sink them further. Watford have potential to start winning and are in good spirits at the moment, and it looks like Leeds are going to start an exciting run of form under Jesse Marsch (which I thought was a GREAT appointment for the club)
So, why are the Toffees in this situation?
The main issue really is the team. Take maybe two players away from their first eleven and you've essentially got a championship level squad. No one in there has really had a 'standout season' or has impressed for long periods of time. The downfall started in the last few months when Benitez was there and while Lampard has brought his pull power and made some promising signings, there hasn't been an overall positive change.
I've also got issues with Lampard - I still feel like tactically he is nowhere near at a good enough level, and until that side of his management game improves he is going to continue to be picked apart by the teams in the top half of the table.
It's part of the reason I was mostly okay with his departure from Chelsea, we now have Tuchel the 'tactical chameleon' who can hold his own against the top teams and has this magic ability to bring the best out of certain players.
Do I think Lampard as a manager has what it takes to bring Everton out of this? I don't know. I think he needs a bit of time to make the signings he wants, to perhaps offload a few players that don't really perform well. We've seen that he has potential to win games en masse and go on long runs of good form. He also has passion in absolute spades (he broke his finger during a celebration) and he showed equal passion at Chelsea.
I want him to get better tactics wise, because I want to see him back at Chelsea at some point. My belief was always that he jumped into the Chelsea job WAY too early, and Everton is certainly a better fit for him at the moment (similar to Gerrard at Aston Villa)
If they do go down as well they should stick with him, because Frank will surely bring them back up again with relative ease, and it gives Frank a bit of confidence and comfort in the role.
Though I think the main problem is this group of players. This is a group of Everton players that have been REGULARLY criticized and penalized for their performances. Jamie Carragher called their defense a 'championship back 4'. I don't agree with everything Carra says (see: his opinion on Tuchel to United) but regarding Everton, I 100% agree.
Take Richarlison and maybe Calvert-Lewin out the team and there isn't really many stand out performers. I also feel like Lampard is experimenting with a few players in some orthodox positions and it isn't really working out.
It's also interesting to note the club had 3 red cards in the space of three games, perhaps as a result of frustration from the players or strategies not working out. Either way it just adds to the pile of misery.
You have to also feel a bit bad for the club at the moment. I don't think the ownership is doing everything in their power to improve things, their finances are being slowly sapped by the construction of their new stadium, and they might continue to suffer from limited revenue if they slip into the second division. Things took the downhill turn under Benitez, too. It led to players like Digne jump ship, which has now paid off for him as he stars for Gerrard's Villa. It was a tough hole for Lampard to jump into, and I'm sure he's doing the best he can.
So, despite all that, Everton need to stick with Lampard, and let him prove himself to turn things around and show the board why he deserves his job. The club need a smart transfer window in which they offload a large portion of dead wood and use the Frank Lampard pull power to bring in some worthwhile, long term players.
In the end, the Premier League is dog eat dog, and perhaps the power and prestige that Everton once had is slowly starting to fade.