Michael Ball defends Everton boss with ‘Masterclass’ Tottenham tactics jibe
Everton climbed out of the relegation zone after securing their first away win under Frank Lampard this season.
Prior to the match, Michael Ball took to Twitter to aim a dig at the media’s narrative over defensive football.
Antonio Conte was hailed as a “masterclass” after Spours drew 1-1 against Liverpool, but Frank Lampard was criticised for being negative in the 1-0 win against Chelsea.
The former Everton player wrote on Twitter: “When Conte sets up Spurs to frustrate Liverpool, it’s regarded a Masterclass. When Frank did it, it was regarded (as) negative football.”
The Toffees earned a 2-1 victory over Leicester City in the Premier League on Sunday (8 May).
Frank Lampard’s side has been criticised for deploying a negative brand of football, as they managed only 34% of possession [BBC].
Who cares?
It’s clear hypocrisy. Sometimes managers set their team defensively to get an ugly win. Conte did the same and was praised.
Why would Lampard be treated differently?
Goals from Vitaliy Mykolenko and Mason Holgate gave Lampard’s side their third win in five games, and one could feel the momentum is with the Toffees now.
As a result of this win, they remain in control of their destiny with only four games to play.
Everton are in a dire situation, and results matter most at the moment. It’s ludicrous to pinpoint playing style at the moment when survival is at stake.
Leicester dominated for large periods in the second half, but thanks to an out-of-the-world Jordan Pickford, Everton ensured they pick up back to back wins.
The England shot-stopper produced arguably the save of the season against Chelsea, and he produced sublime stops to deny Nampalys Mendy and Harvey Barnes to earn all three points.
Everton moved up to 16th with victory, one point above Burnley and Leeds United, who now drop to 18th in the league after they lost 2-1 against Arsenal on Sunday.
In other Everton news, one pundit was stunned by what he saw an “unbelievable” Toffee do at the King Power.
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