Everton boss Frank Lampard worries for Ashley Cole ahead of Tottenham contest
Everton face a tough test tomorrow evening (Monday 7 March) as they travel to the capital to take on Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur.
The Toffees are in need of points to claw themselves away from the relegation zone after back-to-back defeats against Southampton and Manchester City.
Manager Frank Lampard expects a hostile reception from the Spurs fans as a former West Ham and Chelsea player but there could be another member of his backroom staff who is targeted even more by the home support.
First-team coach Ashley Cole played for Chelsea too but also Spurs’ arch-rivals Arsenal for a number of years and he expects the majority of the jeers to be aimed his way.
“I don’t expect a good reception – but speaking to Ashley Cole he expects a worse reception than me,” Lampard said, as quoted by the Evening Standard.
“It’s all good fun, I always enjoyed the battles with Tottenham as a Chelsea player and West Ham player before that.
“But it’s not part of my thinking, I’m actually not even considering the games I’ve played with or managed at Chelsea – it’s a completely different position.”
Ignore them
The home crowd, no matter how raucous or hostile they may be, cannot be a factor in the performance of the players or the decision making of the management team.
There is no room for looking around and laughing at some of the remarkable things the crowd may come out with in the direction of the Toffees players.
Everton simply need points and they were let off yesterday with Burnley, Leeds and Norwich all losing to give them a great chance to gap the relegation zone.
It won’t be easy by any stretch of the imagination and Spurs’ recent 4-0 demolition of Leeds will fill them with confidence but getting a result in North London is not out of the question.
As long as the players and management can keep their heads in the pressure moments, they can make Conte’s men break and capitalise big time.
In other Everton news, the club could face more than £300million of transfer budget loss after major developments this week.
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