Frank Lampard comments after Everton loss were a cry for help to Goodison board
Everton suffered a 4-1 loss to Bournemouth on Tuesday night, and Frank Lampard’s comments after the whistle were a subtle message to the board.
Everton’s Carabao Cup run ended in just the third round on Tuesday night as Bournemouth ran riot at the Vitality Stadium over a much-changed Toffees side.
Lampard made a handful of changes to his lineup, with the Toffees boss clearly seeing Saturday’s Premier League match against the Cherries as the more important fixture.
Bournemouth also fielded a weakened side, but they still managed to overpower Everton who put on a performance littered with errors.
After the match, Lampard ripped into his fringe players, suggesting that he “learned more” about them on Tuesday than during training sessions.
“I work daily with the players so there is a lot to it as I say about where we are at as a squad, what level players train at, how much they want to play when they get a chance or come on and show personality and play,” said Lampard, as quoted by the Liverpool Echo.
“Those are the things I consider as much as anything. But when I look at the squad now I learned more today about the strength of the squad and where we are at than I do by watching training every day so that’s really interesting to me.”
Lampard was clearly unimpressed by his fringe players on Tuesday, with the likes of Mason Holgate, Yerry Mina, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Michael Keane all performing poorly.
But Lampard’s comments weren’t just intended as criticism towards the players – they were a cry for help towards the board.
Lampard has shown over the summer that he clearly has an eye for talent, and many of his signings have immediately become key players for the Toffees. James Tarkowski, Conor Coady and Amadou Onana all arrived in the summer and were huge misses on Tuesday night.
Having shown the board what he can do when financially backed. Lampard will no doubt be begging for more funds over January and next summer after showcasing that his current squad depth is hugely lacking in quality.
There’s a lengthy list of players that need offloading immediately so that space opens up in the squad for new and improved players. Lampard has shown he can improve the squad, it’s now time for the board to deliver.