Frank Lampard compares Everton captain Seamus Coleman to John Terry and Steven Gerrard
Everton boss Frank Lampard compared captain Seamus Coleman to John Terry and Steven Gerrard after the win over Newcastle last night (17 March).
The Irishman gave everything in the crucial 1-0 victory and won the ball to start the move for Alex Iwobi’s winner.
The 33-year-old has been under scrutiny in recent weeks as the Toffees have performed poorly in defence, with his age cited as proof that he is past his best, but the manager has put him in exalted company.
Following the final whistle Lampard said, via Richard Buxton on Twitter: “I worked with possibly the greatest captain in John Terry & played with people who were great captains like Steven Gerrard, etc. Seamus Coleman is absolutely in that bracket because of how he carries himself… If Alex Iwobi’s Man of the Match, so is Seamus for me”
Strong words
It’s possibly not the compliment that the former Chelsea star thinks it is to compare someone to his former colleague.
Terry divides opinion and there are various reasons why it would be better not to be named in conjunction to him.
Similarly, citing a Liverpool hero as an example to follow at Goodison isn’t the wisest move.
But neither player’s credentials as skippers on the field are in question, so the Toffees full-back will take encouragement from his manager’s words.
It is a sign of the messy recruitment at the club that the Toffees stalwart is currently being relied upon so heavily.
He is not the player he once was, and the performances have been up and down as a result.
He was excellent when Leeds were blown away a month ago, and inspirational again last night.
But his lack of pace was exposed in the defeat at Spurs, yet January signing Nathan Patterson has so far not be deemed ready to replace him.
That is a concern, but if Coleman can find a few more performances like in the two most recent home wins before the end of the season will be the focus for now.
In other Everton news, an unexpected event at the ground caused mockery of the team’s attack.
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