How Everton manage possession is a key focus at Finch Farm this week as Frank Lampard looks to pick up his players from the defeat to Manchester United. Highlighting the need to prevent such costly errors,
Frank Lampard said: “I won’t be soft about that, because we weren’t as good as we could be in the first half against United. We took too many touches and got ourselves in positions where we should have moved the ball quicker out of tight areas. Those are things we speak about a lot, and we train on a lot. We have got improvement to do there. If we had won this game, I wouldn’t be saying, ‘We’re where we want to be on the ball’. We can get a lot better and that is a work in progress. Within us, you can see the improvement, but I know there’s a lot more to be had. I can’t question the attitude of the boys, but sometimes a game can give you a little bit of a check, and I think that’s where we’re at.”
Everton improved in the second half on Sunday but only placed opposition goalkeeper David de Gea under sustained pressure in the final minutes. Lampard said he was pleased with the spirit shown as his players fought for an equaliser but
Frank Lampard added: “We have to have a bit more about us. Also, I want to go steps beyond that. It’s not bad for us to be self-critical to a degree, and that’s behind closed doors. This a tough league and if there are things that are clear that we don’t do so well, we just have to work. Our standards are now that we can go more toe-to-toe more with these type of teams – last season was maybe a different approach. These things come, but it’s important how we react.”
He acknowledged the next two fixtures would be difficult and
Frank Lampard added: “The bigger picture is we can all see we’re going in the right direction, but maybe it’s time for us to get a bit of test. I’ve no problem with that. This is the Premier League. The lads just need to stand up. We all do.”
