Lampard’s first 3 Key Objectives at Everton

As widely expected Frank Lampard is expected to be announced as Everton manager over the weekend. After a bizarre and drawn out process with only three real candidates it seems, Lampard has finally been given the nod over Vitor Pereira and Duncan Ferguson.

Lampard will have to get to work quickly and here we will look at three key objectives that he will need to action straight away.

The transfer window shuts on Monday night and Everton have work to do as reinforcements are most definitely required. Interestingly the only official news from the club that did come out on Friday was the imminent arrival of formal Everton legend Tim Cahill as a technical advisor, possibly director.

Lampard will need to reset a lot of the backroom team at Everton with Rafa Benitez’s team having all left. Will Ferguson stay on in any capacity will have to be decided upon and I expect was discussed in yesterday’s meetings in London.

Tactically Lampard will need to hit the ground running in training next week, Everton have three games in eight days next week. A cup tie with Brentford and then crucial Premier League battles away at Newcastle and at home to Leeds.

Lampard can work with Cahill to get in much needed reinforcements

1. Transfer Window Deals

Even with official communication still to be announced for Frank Lampard’s arrival, there are already moves to get deals done before Monday’s transfer window shuts.

One of the reasons this can happen is the appointment of Tim Cahill as a technical director/advisor.

Cahill and Lampard have become good friends at the back end of their playing days when they both played for the Manchester City franchises, Cahill in Australia for Melbourne and Lampard for the New York team. Pictures have been circling of them together during training sessions and one with Cahill’s sons in a dressing room, as you can see below:

https://twitter.com/ToffeesInLondon/status/1487174087554261001?s=20&t=rAwVchCZr6peBIs7qi71Eg

This relationship will mean potential names that can help Everton to get up the Premier League table, as would have been discussed during the meetings on Friday in London when Cahill was pictured with Everton chairman Bill Kenwright.

One name that has been strongly linked today is Donny Van De Beek on loan for the rest of the season. The out of favour Manchester United midfielder has been strongly linked with Crystal Palace, but as per Fabrizio Romano on Twitter this morning it seems Everton are now firmly in the hunt:

https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1487379139451576322?s=20&t=rAwVchCZr6peBIs7qi71Eg

With Abdoulaye Doucoure and Fabian Delph out for a month with respective injuries this area of the team needs extra bodies in by Monday’s deadline. Even if Van De Beek is signed on loan I would expect a slightly more defensive midfielder to also be on Everton’s radar.

Other signings may be left until the summer as the defence has been reinforced with the two full back signings earlier in the month and the attack has seen injuries clear up to give Lampard options next week.

Outgoings would be good too, with possibilities of loan deals more than permanent deals being likely. Ellis Simms has already gone out on loan to Hearts, Jon-Joe Kenny and Jean-Philippe Gbamin could be others although the latter unlikely with those midfield injuries now.

Lampard and Cahill will have a very busy three days to get deals done, but with a good relationship already formed and rumours of key targets identified there should be definite incoming activity at Finch Farm on Monday.

Lampard has been working hard this week to get coaching team on board

2. Lampard’s Coaching Staff

Frank Lampard is believed to have cancelled a family holiday to put himself as a key contender for the Everton manager position. While an extended process has taken place Lampard has been busy assembling his coaching staff if, and now it seems when, he got the job.

Lampard is very well respected in the wider football community and had assembled a good coaching team at Chelsea for his manager spell there.

So much so that one such coach, and a former Everton youth trainee, Anthony Barry was kept on the Chelsea coaching staff by Thomas Tuchel after Lampard got sacked. Barry has been credited with gaining more goals-for through set pieces, his analysis helping Chelsea to a very successful second half of the season.

Barry and England’s Assistant Coach Steve Holland have been strongly linked with roles in Lampard’s Everton coaching set up.

If Lampard has discussed this with these two respected coaches and they have in principle agreed, they will be great assets for Everton to help get themselves more organised and pull away from the relegation zone. Holland has been credited with organising England’s tactics in the last two tournaments under Gareth Southgate.

One question that has to be answered is who will be Lampard’s Assistant Manager? Will Duncan Ferguson stay on again?

Rumours are that Jody Morris who was Lampard’s right hand man when in charge of both Derby and Chelsea will not join him at Everton.

Morris scored the goal which guaranteed Everton’s safety on the last day of the 1997/98 season when he scored the 2nd goal for Chelsea in a 2-0 win over relegation rivals Bolton Wanderers meaning Everton’s nerve jangling point versus Coventry was enough.

With Rafa Benitez’s backroom staff having all followed the Spaniard out of the door, Lampard has a key job to get his coaching staff right. By the sound of it he already knew this and has been working extremely hard behind the scenes to get this organised.

Lampard has to work out tactics & formation in key first week

3. Lampard’s Tactics & Formation

While Everton have taken an eternity to appoint a new manager this has left little time, despite a current winter break week off, for the new manager to get tactics and formation right before a massive eight days next week.

Frank Lampard will need to not only get transfer deals over the line by Monday night and organise his coaching staff, but also sort the tactics and formation out that have caused real issues for Everton this season.

Lampard in his previous roles at Derby and Chelsea has produced a high press without the ball and then a possession based approach with the ball. He liked to get his full back’s high up the pitch with industrious wide midfielders who would harass the opposition.

This has been analysed by The Coaches’ Voice which you can read via the tweet below:

With that in mind who will this benefit in the Everton squad Lampard is inheriting?

Certainly the new full back’s, Vitaliy Mykolenko and Nathan Patterson, fall into this category and should be in Lampard’s plans straight away. Allan will also benefit as he likes to press high up, however this means a number six type midfielder will be crucial and Lampard has always played with one before. Anthony Gordon should be delighted with this also as he has pressed well this season.

You have to fear for Solomon Rondon, despite his hat-trick for Venezuela this week, as he can’t press too much and Alex Iwobi who has not been in any kind of form for some time. Iwobi’s red card in Nigeria’s exit in the African Nations Cup will not help his confidence at all.

Formation wise Lampard has usually gone with a 4-4-2 diamond or a 4-3-3, or a 4-2-2-2 if looking to really attack in certain situations. He has not used wing backs at all and three centre backs has never been the option. Of course Thomas Tuchel his successor at Chelsea has used the wing back method to great effect since.

I suspect he will use the 4-3-3 formation at Everton to start with, something which the fans have been crying out for. The third midfielder is crucial for Everton to not be exposed and to win the ball back more often to give the ball to more forward thinking players.

My thoughts on his team would be Pickford in goal, Patterson or Coleman and Mykolenko at full back, Godfrey and Mina at centre back, with Allan, Gomes (Doucoure when fit) and a possible new signing in midfield. If they could get a number six type of player in then Gomes would drop out. The three up front would revolve around Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison, Gray and Gordon.

It is a massive week ahead for Lampard as the three games in eight days are all big games. Brentford at home in the FA Cup keeps the hope of silverware alive, Newcastle away in the Premier League midweek is a vital battle for relegation points, as is Leeds at home the following weekend.

Once the transfer window shuts on Monday hard work will need to be achieved to ensure those three games give a springboard to a more positive second half of the season.