Graeme Souness absolves Frank Lampard from blame for potential Everton relegation
Frank Lampard can’t be held responsible if Everton are relegated because he has “players without quality” according to Graeme Souness.
The Toffees boss faces his former team Chelsea today (1 May) in desperate need of a positive result after Burnley won again at Watford yesterday.
That leaves his side in 18th place and five points from safety, but with two games in hand on both the Clarets and Leeds, but Souness says the ex-Chelsea boss is hampered by what he has to work with.
The Sky Sports pundit says in The Times today: “I worry for them. They have a group of players without quality because their recruitment has been disappointing.
“A good manager with ordinary players will have a difficult season. A poor manager with good players has a chance.
“The game will always be about players, so you can’t judge Frank Lampard on what he inherited.”
Now or never
There is more than enough quality in Lampard’s squad to be avoiding relegation.
But for one reason or another virtually none of the players are showing it on a consistent basis.
Lampard, 43, will have known what he had to work with when he took the job, so he must feel that there is enough there to steer the club to safety.
Injuries have not helped and continue to disrupt his plans, particularly in defence where he has largely had to do without Yerry Mina, and revealed in his pre-match press conference that Ben Godfrey is facing a race to feature again this season.
After so long just outside the relegation zone the Toffees suddenly find themselves five points adrift.
Games in hand are all very well but points on the board are more valuable right now.
Lampard has to get something against his former side today, and should be hopeful he can do so with the European champions on a run of uninspiring form.
In other Everton news, Jamie Carragher raised a painful “irony” for the club if they are relegated.
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