MY ACCOUNT
Everton’s dramatic late win over Newcastle has given Frank Lampard’s men new hope — but the Toffees must tighten up to avoid finding themselves in a sticky situation.
Alarmingly, the Merseysiders have only kept six clean sheets in 32 games across all competitions this term and Thursday’s shutout against the Magpies was their first in the Premier League since February 12.
Ahead of today’s FA Cup quarter-final against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, we assess how former Chelsea boss Lampard can build on that victory over Eddie Howe’s men to put an end to lingering talk of the drop.
Leaking like a sieve
Everton conceded 48 goals in 38 games in 2020-21 en route to finishing 10th in the Premier League. However, they have already let in 47 in just 27 top-tier fixtures this time around.
The Toffees have at least been more defensively sound in their last two FA Cup ties — although shutting out non-League Boreham Wood in the fifth round was expected.
Until this week’s clean sheet, they had continued to ship goals in the league, with the 5-0 drubbing at Tottenham earlier this month one of the club’s lowest points in recent history.
But Lampard, 43, believes the spirit his side showed against Toon after going down to 10 men will stand them in good stead for the rest of the season.
Speaking after Alex Iwobi’s stoppage-time goal secured a 1-0 win, he said: “It was an amazing night. [We showed] spirit and togetherness. The players stood up tonight.
“It was not a night for quality or calm. It means so much to the fans in the stadium, we all felt that. I wanted to use the atmosphere.
“Everton fans wanted to see passion. We proved what we could be tonight.”
Signs of improvement?
In Rafa Benitez’s final nine matches in charge, Everton conceded 20 goals at an average of 2.22 per 90 minutes. In Lampard’s first nine, that average dropped significantly to 1.44.
There have been mixed signs during the his short reign. The unfortunate 1-0 loss to Manchester City last month was one of Everton’s better displays — but the performance at Spurs nine days later was nothing short of abject.
Despite keeping a clean sheet at Goodison Park on Thursday, the Toffees still gave up chances worth 1.05 expected goals.
In seven Premier League fixtures under Lampard, Everton have conceded an average of 9.71 shots from inside the box per 90 minutes. Only Brentford (10.3), Leicester (11.3) and Norwich (12.4) face more.
Whether things are improving or not, further progress must be made quickly if Everton are to avert a disastrous end to the campaign.
Personal responsibility
When it comes to goals conceded through their own mistakes, Everton are among the worst in the Premier League this season.
And Lampard largely blamed individual errors for his team’s embarrassment at the hands of Tottenham.
Speaking after that trouncing, he said: “The main issues were mistakes and bad defending for the goals.
“There’s a clear discrepancy in home and away form, issues that were there before me and don’t take care of themselves overnight.
“But rather than being about home and away, if you make those mistakes you’re going to struggle.
“It’s important to remain positive but we can’t shy away from the mistakes we made tonight.”
It is another point that can be backed up by data. Since Lampard’s appointment on January 31, no Premier League side has made more errors leading to goals than the Toffees, with 0.29 per 90.
Three or four?
While having the ability to shift between a three-man and a four-man defence affords tactical flexibility, could Everton’s continuing defensive problems partly stem from an unsettled backline?
There is room for tweaks and implementing a tactical approach takes time. However, time is very much of the essence for Lampard and Everton.
The Toffees enjoyed their most successful spell of 2020-21 — under Carlo Ancelotti — with a back four of Mason Holgate, Yerry Mina, Michael Keane and Ben Godfrey.
None of those players are natural full-backs and Everton lack in that department. Skipper Seamus Coleman, 33, is a fading force, while Lucas Digne was offloaded to Aston Villa at the behest of former boss Benitez in January.
January addition Nathan Patterson has scarcely featured, while fellow new-boy Vitaliy Mykolenko has — understandably given the circumstances in his homeland of Ukraine — been eased in.
Switching to a back three, which Lampard utilised at Chelsea, could offer Everton greater protection.
Searching for positive omens
As Chelsea boss in 2019-20, Lampard steered the Blues to finish fourth in the Premier League, though they conceded 54 goals along the way (1.42 per 90) — the most in the top half.
He fared better with Derby in his first season in management by taking them to the 2018-19 Championship play-off final, but the Rams only kept 11 clean sheets in 49 games.
In any case, these were both sides mixing it up at the right end of the table.
Ominously for Everton, their current manager’s previous defensive records do not suggest he is the optimal coach for a relegation dogfight.
