Anthony Gordon needs to reel back aggression at Everton after worrying stat emerges
Anthony Gordon has been booked more times than any player in the Premier League this season – a stat that will worry Everton boss Frank Lampard.
When Lampard was appointed Everton manager last season, the former England and Chelsea legend immediately set about trying to instil more fighting spirit at the club.
The Toffees did show much more fight under Lampard and narrowly avoided relegation thanks to a number of spirited displays at the tail end of the season.
But Gordon may have taken Lampard’s rallying cry for more fight a little too seriously this season, and the Yorkshire Evening Post‘s study on the “dirtiest Premier League teams” found that Everton rank sixth when it comes to bookings and red cards, with Lampard’s side facing 33 referee cautions this season.
Worryingly though, Gordon makes up six of them, making him the most booked player in the Premier League this season.
Reel it in
Gordon started the season on fire after a summer of transfer sagas and rumours, but the 21-year-old has suffered a huge drop in form in recent months.
He’s looked more and more unmotivated as the season has ticked on and Lampard even dropped him a few times in the final few games before the World Cup.
That’s not to even mention his discipline issues. While it’s great to see a young academy product get stuck in with tackles and challenges, six bookings by the halfway point of the season is worrying.
A number of Gordon’s yellow cards have come from frustration or laziness and that will be a huge worry for Lampard.
It seems interest from top Premier League clubs has entirely put Gordon off of his game. He was direct, positive and fearless last season as he helped the Toffees survive but it now seems as though he’s trying to change his playing style.
With the winter break to refresh and relax, Gordon needs to go back to basics for the second half of the season and keep his discipline better.