Frank Lampard must drop Everton forward Demarai Gray v Leicester
Everton will face Leicester City in the Premier League on Saturday (5 November) at Goodison Park and Frank Lampard needs to make some changes to the squad.
The Toffees boss needs to make a bold decision on Demarai Gray and drop him against the Foxes.
Gray has been ever-present for the side so far, having managed 13 appearances in the Premier League.
He is fast, skillful, and poses threat going forward. But he is also one of the reasons why Lampard’s team is suffering at the moment.
A player of his caliber has managed only one goal and zero assist in the league so far, and that is simply not good enough.
Gray is a versatile winger who can either play on the right as also on the left. He has a tendency to cut inside from the left and get himself into a good scoring position.
But the stats don’t lie. He can’t hit the target. He can’t find his teammates in the box.
People might point out that Gray brings a lot more to the side by helping the full-backs out. But that is not his primary job.
It is one of the reasons why the Toffees are in 12th position at the moment. They are toothless upfront, especially away from home.
Lampard wants his side to stay compact and score on the counter-attack. For that, he has to rely on Gray.
Against Tottenham as also against Fulham, Gray missed two good opportunities to score. When your team is not creating enough chances, this tactic is just like giving a monkey a keyboard and expecting him to write a line from Hamlet.
It’s time for Lampard to change his style, and most importantly he must drop Gray. He is becoming a waste of space at the moment. Unless Lampard changes his style and system, he will remain ineffective.