Frank Lampard urges Everton players to maintain ‘belief’ in his system
Everton boss Frank Lampard has put the onus on his players to have ‘belief’ in his system and not revert to old methods seen with previous managers.
The former England international has had a mixed response from his players since taking charge at Finch Farm with two wins and two losses in four games.
Lampard admitted there was no ‘magic wand’ to fix the teams whilst urging the players to work hard and remain focused at all times.
He told Everton TV: “It’s about belief – and the players need to feel that themselves.
“There will be times you’re up against it and, as a group, we need to feel belief.
“It’s not a slant on the group because, when you’ve been losing games, it’s tough to turn that corner as a bad period in a game can remind them of those matches.
“It’s very easy to seep back into the ways of playing the ball longer and the team getting stretched.
“They are the things we [the new coaching team] addressed very quickly when we came in here and, in difficult moments, we’ve seen them come back.
“There is no magic wand to change things instantly and you need to work and focus every day. You’re only as good as how you work and prepare.”
Patience
It is almost as if Lampard sets the team up one way to play at home and a complete other way when playing away which everyone knows isn’t the case.
It is mental how Everton can produce jaw dropping performances like the one against Leeds United at Goodison Park and then fall way, way short of the mark in the next game against Southampton.
It is brilliant what the former Chelsea boss has done in such little time and that should buy him some time to nail down the consistency amongst the players.
They are clearly still shaking off the nightmare results suffered all season long under Rafa Benitez and the abysmal football to match.
Lampard has continuously spoken of possession-based football and has encouraged the players to enjoy the ball rather than just lumping it away.
These things take time though and the longer he works with these players, the better it will get.
Blues would have been very delusional if they thought this was an overnight fix but they are certainly on the right track.
In other Everton news, View: Away issues have been highlighted with an embarrassing St. Mary’s statistic.