Frank Lampard has warned that his Everton side “can’t fall into the trap” of getting complacent over their positive results at Goodison Park.
Frank Lampard said: “Ultimately, it (Boreham Wood in the FA Cup) was a third win from four home matches. But we can’t fall into the trap of thinking, ‘we’re at Goodison again, the result will take care of itself’. We are nowhere near that position and the message to the players is very clear: nothing is going to come easy for us over the next few months, we’re not entitled to anything just because we’re Everton. I’ve said time and again what a fantastic club this is, with a great tradition and a big and passionate fanbase. But none of that earns you the points to climb the table. Only the players on the pitch can look after that side of it once that first whistle blows.”.
The Blues boss called on his players to be the “catalyst” for the fans to get behind the team and set the tone at Goodison. A further positive is that Everton will have both Ben Godfrey and Demarai Gray back in contention at the weekend, with the pair returning after more than a month on the sidelines. Though Lampard refused to “gloss over” his side’s 5-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on Monday and admits he is determined to improve the club’s away form.
Frank Lampard said: “In simple terms, we were miles off the standard expected from an Everton side for most of the night. Tottenham didn’t have to work hard enough for their goals and that is something we need to address all over the pitch; defending is a collective responsibility, from back to front. The game again shone a light on the discrepancy between our home and away form. It is something we will work on until it is fixed. For now, though, it is vital we start picking up points very quickly, so all our focus is on (Wolves) and continuing what we’ve been doing at Goodison.”
