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Toffees leave bitter taste for Lamps
Frank Lampard slammed his Everton players after they were humiliated 4-0 by Minnesota United in a pre-season friendly.
A near-full strength Toffees side looked well off the pace against their MLS hosts, leading their 44-year-old boss to pull no punches in his post-match assessment.
Lampard raged: “The players have to understand that we were in a relegation battle for a big portion of last season.
“We had an amazing night [against Crystal Palace] and an amazing run which was great historically for the club but, as soon as that finished, I put it to bed very quickly, so the players better put it to bed as well.
“We were in that fight for a reason and, if we don’t want to be in that situation again, they have to be better, I have to be better.
“The lads have trained well out here. They have trained hard as they should do but that performance should give them a real something to think about on the plane home because it has certainly given me something to think about.”
Everton start their new Premier League campaign with a home clash against Lampard’s former club Chelsea on August 6.
Guardiola hails ‘top-class’ Alvarez
Pep Guardiola was left purring over Julian Alvarez’s Manchester City debut.
Argentinian international Alvarez has finally linked up with the Citizens after agreeing to join the English champions in January before finishing last season on loan at his former club River Plate.
He arrives at the Etihad with quite the reputation and Guardiola was left mightily impressed by the 22-year-old’s debut in a 2-1 win over Club America, even comparing him an ex-City star.
The Spaniard said: “Julian was incredible. Defensively he is quite similar to Gabriel Jesus. Gabriel is probably the best, but he [Alvarez] is close to him in terms of aggression and how intuitive he is.
“He makes the runs and with the ball he’s absolutely brilliant. He can keep the ball and you can link with him without a problem.
“We have the feeling we signed a top-class young player for the next years to come, and we are delighted.”
Meanwhile, Jesus — who has been impressive in pre-season for new club Arsenal — came off the bench last night as the Gunners beat Orlando City 3-1.
Bassey: Ajax switch a no-brainer
Former Rangers defender Calvin Bassey admits it was always going to be a “definite yes” when Ajax came calling.
The Nigerian international, 22, completed his move to the Dutch champions yesterday, with the Gers receiving a club-record fee of £19.5million for his services.
Having starred in his old club’s sensational run to the Europa League final last term, Bassey is buzzing to step up another level and experience Champions League football in Amsterdam.
He said: “As a kid you always dream about playing for the biggest clubs in the world, playing in the Champions League and winning things.
“That’s what Ajax is about. They play in the Champions League and they win trophies. They have got a history.
“It just made perfect sense for me. When I got the call, you didn’t have to ask me twice. It was a definite yes. No doubt.”
Bassey appears to be a direct replacement for the outgoing Lisandro Martinez, who is expected to complete a £55m move to Manchester United in the coming days.
