Frank Lampard's time at Everton running out?

10.01.23 1885

Everton will play Manchester United in the FA Cup third round at Old Trafford on Friday. It is a game some fans couldn’t care less about. The Toffees supporters are more concerned about the club’s Premier League status, as Everton are 18th in the table after 18 games.

The FA Cup third round has come at the wrong time for the Toffees. Everton have back-to-back six-point affairs against Southampton and West Ham once the Premier League resumes.

The results of both matches could funnel Everton further toward relegation to the Championship or the games could send Frank Lampard’s team closer to survival.

Everton have played the most seasons in English top-flight football. The Toffees have only played four seasons outside the top flight since the creation of the Football League in 1888.

Since 1954, Everton have played at the top level continuously. Relegation to the Championship would end a 69-year run of Everton in the English top flight.

How have the Toffees got here?

Poor managerial hirings, a lack of a long-term planning, and signing players willy-nilly for a revolving door of coaches has helped plant the Toffees in danger once more.

The current squad under Lampard is a mishmash of players from a variety of different managers from Marco Silva to Rafael Benitez. Despite the imbalance of the squad, as a coach, Lampard must get the best out of the team, which he continually fails to do.

Lampard struggled to win matches at Chelsea where he had far more talented players. He has struggled even more at Goodison Park with players far from the quality of Chelsea’s team during Lampard’s time at Stamford Bridge.

Ahead of Friday’s FA Cup match against Man United at Old Trafford, Lampard had managed 41 matches in charge of Everton. He has a record of 12W-8D-21L. Lampard used 42 players and picked up 1.07 points per match after hired on January 31, 2022.

In March 2022, it was reported that Everton lost £371.8 million over the previous three years. In the last seven years, Everton made a profit a mere one time.

The financial mishandling of the club, as well as a new stadium being built in Liverpool, have tied Lampard’s hands. However, the manager has still brought in players, including Neal Maupay, Dwight McNeil, and Amadou Onana.

Everton may be financially handcuffed, yet they still spent more than £63m plus added an assortment of proven Premier League players on loan. Although Onana is a fantastic centre midfielder, Maupay has never been strong with his finishing.

Lampard already seems ready to move on Maupay after just a few months at Goodison Park. Meanwhile, McNeil never fulfilled the hype at Burnley and looks just as poor at Everton.

Then, there is the case of Anthony Gordon. A player who was “the” next big thing during the summer transfer window and was wanted by Chelsea for big money.

Gordon started the season well but hasn’t kept up his form. The forward has three goals in 15 games, but only one of those goals has come after August. Everton could have sold Gordon for over £70m in the summer. Now, Everton would be lucky to get half that figure.

Lampard is just part of the problem for Everton. Unfortunately, no one can time travel and change the issues that started more than a decade ago at Goodison Park.