2021/22 Frank Lampard

[blu87554]

I think he did that yesterday with the 3 atb after the drubbing at spurs
I take your point but am unsure its the way to go...there are a lot of teams in our remaining fixtures that will beat us no matter how we set up
its the ones we have a chance against we need 3

Err no. Yesterdays formation had 3 attackers. You are not defending when you start with 3 attackers and no back up for the defense but 2 midfielders.

451-532 but sit back, let them come and when they do, there is space for players like Gray or Gordon to run into. It wont look nice, it will be boring - as where a lot of ancelotti games, but at least we produced points and the occasional win.

 

[blueblue]

I think he did that yesterday with the 3 atb after the drubbing at spurs
I take your point but am unsure its the way to go...there are a lot of teams in our remaining fixtures that will beat us no matter how we set up
its the ones we have a chance against we need 3

I think there are lots of points we could still scrape.
We do have talented players who just have zero confidence at the moment but a couple of results could change things.
As I have said that first we stop losing.

 

[Wat Tyler]

Got to bring Allan back into that midfield.

 

[davek]

I think he would stay here if the mad Iranian doesn't fire him. I'm sure he would think that everybody looks on us as a circus these Days and that if he stays and fails, it would only be what was expected and would not significantly damage his career. If, however, he stays here and turns it around, his reputation would soar. I think it could be a win win for Lampard.

I personally think he is the man to turn things around. He has a lot to learn, but, there is just something about him that gives me hope.

TBF, I think you're looking at it from an Evertonian standpoint.

If I were Frank Lampard I wouldn't want to be hanging around this club too long after a relegation. I'd want out ASAP.

 

[Toffeepot]

Err no. Yesterdays formation had 3 attackers. You are not defending when you start with 3 attackers and no back up for the defense but 2 midfielders.

451-532 but sit back, let them come and when they do, there is space for players like Gray or Gordon to run into. It wont look nice, it will be boring - as where a lot of ancelotti games, but at least we produced points and the occasional win.

Perhaps, but it was still 5 defenders...one less mid for one more attacker
The main problem was our back line so I presume that was what FL was attempting to address
I would personally prefer 433 but our defenders are just awful, especially without Mina

 

[maccavennie]

People who are still on Frank's side... please ask yourselves. Do you really think that Sam or Rafael would have only got 3 points from them 6 league games considering he had nearly a fully fit squad to choose from. And be honest with yourself about it.

This guy is taking us down. These players are definitely better than what at least 4 other teams have and lampards tinkering with formations and messing around with players positions etc is going to cost us imo.

Benitez wouldn't have won another game as Everton manager.

I'm 100% sure of that so I don't think you can say "would Benitez have won only 1 of 6 games when in fact he only won 1 of 15 games. He 100% proved in that period that keeping him in charge was a sure fire way to get relegated.

Talk of Allardyce is absolutely pathetic btw, have some standards ffs even if the players don't have any doesn't mean we should lower ourselves AGAIN for someone who is not fit to manage this club.

 

[COYBL25]

We were already in a dire situation when FL was appointed.

I think if any blame is to be set against him it is that he is still trying to pick teams to win games rather than picking teams not to lose them.

Every point we pick up now is vital and from here until the end of the season I think every team should be picked not to lose.

It`s not in his nature to park the bus and anyway, Fatty tried that for two thirds of the season and look how that worked out ???

 

[COYBL25]

Benitez wouldn't have won another game as Everton manager.

I'm 100% sure of that so I don't think you can say "would Benitez have won only 1 of 6 games when in fact he only won 1 of 15 games. He 100% proved in that period that keeping him in charge was a sure fire way to get relegated.

Talk of Allardyce is absolutely pathetic btw, have some standards ffs even if the players don't have any doesn't mean we should lower ourselves AGAIN for someone who is not fit to manage this club.

If Benitez was still here, there`d have been disorder in the ground by now too.

 

[maccavennie]

If Benitez was still here, there`d have been disorder in the ground by now too.

100% mate

 

[blu87554]

Perhaps, but it was still 5 defenders...one less mid for one more attacker
The main problem was our back line so I presume that was what FL was attempting to address
I would personally prefer 433 but our defenders are just awful, especially without Mina

Indeed, Mina - or any big capable defender with a brain, is missed.

But rewind the game. Our defenders always back passing because our 2 midfielders were pressed and covered. Any ball to them and they had 2 Wolves players running at them. Point is you cant have a big defense without a midfield that helps out. You cant have a defence working if there is no midfield to pass balls to. That was the whole Wolves plan and it went past Lampard.

Since our players lack confidence its even more imperative to have a decent midfield of at least 3 players, and have them close to our defence. You cant have the one without the other.

Id put 5 defenders sans kenny or coleman, insert Branthwait with holgate and godfrey, and have both vdb and allan work as dm. Then put doucoure in the middle. Keep lb and rb also close and in our half, not running up and down. Let richy and a winger run like crazy for a few long balls. Newcastle is coming with 4 or 5 midfielders so its gonna be more of the same: starve Everton midfield, and watch everton defense collapse. That really is the blueprint to play against us for almost the whole season now.

 

[Eagle Eye]

Pickford
Patterson, Keane, Godfrey, Mykolenko

Allan, Doucoure, Gomes

Van Der Beek, Alli

Richarlison

4-5-1, proper Christmas Tree formation fist half. Onus on midfield runners supporting and getting Richie in behind. Looked our only threat yesterday...

Gray and Gordon to come on 2nd half when legs are tired.

We have to remember that Allan Doucoure and Gomes midfield 3 had us second last Christmas. We now lack James and a fit DCL plus Digne (and a whole load of confidence)

If we accept Mykolenko is no Digne, but Patterson could be as good going forward, we are essentially replacing James and Calvert-lewin with Alli and VDB. Different styles, so we have to adapt the way we play.

For the love of God, we have to try something!!!

 

[Toffeepot]

Indeed, Mina - or any big capable defender with a brain, is missed.

But rewind the game. Our defenders always back passing because our 2 midfielders were pressed and covered. Any ball to them and they had 2 Wolves players running at them. Point is you cant have a big defense without a midfield that helps out. You cant have a defence working if there is no midfield to pass balls to. That was the whole Wolves plan and it went past Lampard.

Since our players lack confidence its even more imperative to have a decent midfield of at least 3 players, and have them close to our defence. You cant have the one without the other.

Id put 5 defenders sans kenny or coleman, insert Branthwait with holgate and godfrey, and have both vdb and allan work as dm. Then put doucoure in the middle. Keep lb and rb also close and in our half, not running up and down. Let richy and a winger run like crazy for a few long balls. Newcastle is coming with 4 or 5 midfielders so its gonna be more of the same: starve Everton midfield, and watch everton defense collapse. That really is the blueprint to play against us for almost the whole season now.

A lot of good points there
I presume Allan was given a rest because he looked very leggy v Spurs and options were limited besides
Wolves are very tough when they go ahead, but as you say it was the midfield controlled it for them thereafter

 

[johnjoeefc]

Could you give us a detailed breakdown of this formation that is within this squad that is clearly a winning one.

Someone needs to pass it onto the club and the manager.

It's not just formation. It's more about discipline within a formation. At spurs the centre midfielders were leaving space in behind and the formation was too adaptable. It needed to be rigid and disciplined when out of possession.

Lampard then decided to totally ditch the formation despite it being the one best suited for the players we have and tried some weird 3 at the back formation at Wolves with full backs playing on the wing and it was just a poor decision.

Someone like Allardyce would set us up to be rigid and disciplined and with the players we have to counter this would suit us perfectly right now. Don't tell me these players can't do that because they got plenty of clean sheets away from home last season and against good teams too.

Lampard is trying to bring in a new philosophy of expansive fluid football and while that's a good long term idea. Its a tactic that will take at least 6 months to develop and most of these players aren't suited to it so it's an idea that will get us relegated.

 

[johnjoeefc]

But you said only a few weeks ago that we all have to back Lampard. And we do have to do that even if we go down imo. Hard to say with Benitez as he lost to Norwich and Watford when they were really bad. Sam's a different story, negative football but it gets results. I think he's who we should have hired then get Lampard in the summer rather than throwing him into this mess. How we played against Leeds and Brentford is what Lampard can give us so he needs time and better players.

Of course we have to get behind Lampard if he stays at the club. But that doesn't mean that him staying is the best thing for the club. He looks out of his depth and is experimenting far too much and we have nearly run out of games. Winnable games in particular are few and far between

 

[johnjoeefc]

I'm not really sure to be honest but Franks expressions remind me of someone trying to teach a poorly behaved dog to behave.

He has gone from confidence to exasperation in 6 weeks, it's etched on his face.

We choose managers poorly and we choose players poorly, put that together and this is the result.

For me the only good thing about Everton and the Everton spirit at the moment has the initials AG.

But even AG is not really doing anything. Apart from huffing and puffing he's not really getting any assists or goals and not actually helping the cause.