We all know international breaks can feel boring but this could be a very important time for the players, after we’ve dealt with so many injuries and suspensions.
Everton have had to jigsaw together a starting XI for one reason or another and you do need a reset button at some point. The lads have been under pressure a lot and physically played too much football at times because of the situation we’re in. Frank doesn’t really want to leave any players out.
The international break will, fingers crossed, help those players recover, both mentally and physically. Frank has said he’s not going to go away on a summer training camp like some clubs do. They’re going to get the lads in at Finch Farm, there’s things he needs to work on and we’ve got to take the positives out of what he’s brought to the table in his time at the club.
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It gives the chance for the injured players or the lads getting back to fitness to get their sharpness up. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has got his own personal fitness regime that he’s working on. Obviously he’s been rushed back quicker than he would have been if we had been flying high up in the table. It also gives Yerry Mina another 10 days or so to get him closer to recovery.
But also for the lads that are fit and will be called upon, Frank and his coaching staff will have the opportunity to get down to hard work on the training field. Have honest and open conversations, without the pressure of a game, to go through scenarios at Finch Farm where Frank thinks they’re making the wrong decisions.
He called them out after the Crystal Palace defeat, which got a mixed reaction in the media, but I think the players will react to that because Frank’s a nice guy, as we all know. He’s been very honest since he came to the football club. He’s protected his players at times, where he could.
I think now he feels that they need calling out because maybe at Finch Farm, what they’re showing Monday to Friday, they’re not replicating on Saturday. So they’re letting Frank down because he’s trusting them based on what he’s seen in training. To show that bravery and desire you’ve shown behind closed doors. But then when the going gets tough or they go a goal down, the mentality and desire vanishes.
It could be a gamble, Frank calling them out, but it also prevents the players from having another excuse for them to hide behind.
What Frank’s got now is time on his side in the international break to go through them step-by-step at Finch Farm and say, ‘This is why I’ve called you out’. Then when the going gets tough at the weekend, the players understand where the manager’s coming from.
Fingers crossed, the players will get a reaction from that.
Need to take responsibility
At the start of the season, when we got wingers on the pitch, they got half a yard and were whipping balls across the box and one of our strikers would get on the end of it. That’s what we need to bring back to our style again. We work so hard to get the ball into the final third and then take the easy option and not ask a question of the defence.
Midfielders also need to create opportunities for their strikers. Yes, we haven’t had that much quality going forward because it feels like we’ve been forcing the issue and lacked composure in front of goal. We’re playing on the edge, not settled and missing those crucial opportunities.
We’ve been playing three at the back, which Frank seems to favour, and I really enjoyed it as a player. But I can also see that some of the players aren’t used to it because they’re not taking responsibility and letting other people deal with situations.
These are the scenarios that Frank Lampard will be working on with the players. When we work hard together as a team, we’re difficult to break down, as we showed against Manchester City. When we work together - but when we go off-script, we leave ourselves wide open.
At least we’ve got this breather in the season. Frank’s been here a while now, he’ll understand the players a lot more than when he joined. He’ll understand how to get the best out of them but also what style and formation we’re going to play.
We’ve got 11 cup finals coming up and the fans will be there in huge numbers. The fans will give everything they can to support the players - but when the going gets tough, you want to see the mentality of the players be stronger and roll their sleeves up. It could be scruffy but that’s what leaders do.
