Coach Frank Lampard has started testing the bitter pills of the Premier League again less than a month after the English tactician took over from coach Rafael Benitez.
Recall that Everton decided to allow Benitez to leave the club after a series of poor results. It took the club over a week to conclude on signing Lampard who has been without a coaching job for over a year.
Note that Lampard spent between 2019 and 2021 coaching his former club, Chelsea. He used mostly the club’s academic players to help the club finish in the top four at the end of the 2019-2020 season.
But during the 2020-2021 season, Chelsea struggled so badly under him after the club had invested heavily in players’ recruitment. Hence, he had to be sacked and was replaced by Thomas Tuchel who went on to use the same team to finish in the top four and win the UEFA Champions League.
Since he left Chelsea as a coach, Lampard has been keeping a low profile while he waited for the right opportunity to return to coaching. On January 31, 2022, he grabbed the opportunity to do so at Everton.
At the point of accepting the offer, Everton were closer to the relegation zone than the top four but Lampard believed that he could turn things around.
How Lampard is performing so far at Everton
Immediately Frank Lampard was named the coach of Everton in January 2022, the club announced the signing of six players.
The players Everton signed for Lampard include Donny Van de Beek on loan from Manchester United, Anwar El Ghazi on loan from Aston Villa, Dele Alli from Tottenham, Nathan Patterson from Rangers, Vitalii Mykolenko from Dynamo Kyiv, and Billy Crellin from Fleetwood Town.
The club decided to bring in all these players with the aim of improving the club’s chance of surviving relegation and probably finishing strong in the league. Unfortunately, the club has not started to reap the benefits.
Frank Lampard’s first game in charge of Everton was an FA Cup 4th round game which ended 4-1 in favor of Everton.
When the club’s fans thought they have finally seen their savior, Lampard lost his second game in charge of the club which was a Premier League game against Newcastle United that ended in a 3-1 defeat.
On February 12, Lampard gave the fans a reason to smile again by leading his team to defeat Leeds United 3-0.
On February 19, Frank Lampard used the same first eleven that defeated Leeds United to face Southampton but the experiment ended in a 2-0 away defeat.
Chef's kiss 😘
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) February 20, 2022
Stu leaves his stamp on St Mary's 🏟 pic.twitter.com/dSXQM9KNwn
82': Subbed on ⤴️
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) February 19, 2022
83': Scores with first touch ⚽️
An instant impact from @ShaneLong7: pic.twitter.com/sWiDlah80u
This means that in four games, Lampard has recorded two defeats and two victories.
Frank Lampard admits that Everton are in a relegation battle
With the 2-0 defeat at the hands of Southampton on Saturday, Everton are now rooted on the 16th spot on the league table with 22 points in 23 games.
The Merseyside club is now four points away from the relegation zone which means that a defeat at the hands of Manchester City on February 26, 2022, will leave Frank Lampard and his boys with just a point away from the relegation zone.
After the 2-0 defeat at the hands of Southampton, coach Lampard was asked whether Everton were now in a relegation battle, and the English tactician said: “I don’t think we have to deny our position. Our league position explains a lot and is one of the reasons I’m here.
“It’s my job to find the reasons why this has happened.
“When we have been great we have backed ourselves, but the minute games turn against us there can be a mentality issue for the players.
“And I can understand confidence issues, but the only way to come out of that is through work and application.
“We are focused on the job at hand. We have to have a belief in what we’re doing, the home games have shown that.
“It’s just very clear what’s in front of us. There’s never a magic wand, but we’re very understanding of the situation.
“We’ve addressed a lot in terms of the way we want to play, but there are still things you can’t change instantly.
“Today was really eye-opening in the second half, of where we are and where we want to get to.
“It felt like reverting to type a little bit after we conceded, and I want to change that. So, there are lots to learn for us.”
What are the details of the contract between Frank Lampard and Everton
On January 31, 2022, Frank Lampard was named the coach of Everton. The club offered Lampard a 2 and a half year contract which is expected to keep him at the club until June 30, 2024.
Based on the information available to Futballnews, the 43-year-old English tactician earns £105,000-per-week as the coach of Everton. His base salary for a year is £5 million.
The 2 and a half year contract is said to be worth over £15 million including winning bonuses and other incentives.
