Everton's senior squad - minus those involved in World Cup duty - returned to Finch Farm on Friday as training resumed ahead of the Premier League's return.
It is now just over a fortnight until the Blues host Wolverhampton Wanderers in a clash that will be pivotal to setting the tone for the first few weeks after the break. By then, Everton would have spent Christmas Day - and the preceding six weeks - just one place and one point above the relegation zone. Frank Lampard would have spent the same period plotting a pathway up the table.
The January transfer window will be important to the club and Lampard is hopeful of landing two attacking targets. But that game with Wolves, and the following fixtures against Manchester City and Brighton, will come before any real progress can be made. With that in mind, here are a few things Lampard and his staff will have to consider as the preparations for that triple-header gather momentum.
READ MORE: Everton new stadium latest stages of development shown in stunning photos
EXCLUSIVE: Nathan Patterson makes honest Everton injury admission as defender eyes up latest return
Assess the injuries as recoveries gather momentum
James Garner's back problem is expected to keep him out until at least the tail end of January but Everton's other injured players are targeting comebacks around the new year. Tom Davies and Yerry Mina both suffered injuries that required scans while the club was in Australia - though neither issue was found to be as severe as first feared. In late November their recovery timelines were estimated to be three to four weeks - suggesting they could be available, or at least in the later stages of their hunt for fitness - by the resumption of the domestic schedule.
Ben Godfrey has not played for the first team since fracturing his fibula on the opening day of the campaign but has now played several games for the Under-21s. He is targeting Wolves for his comeback. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was sidelined with shoulder, knee and hamstring issues in the final week before the break and, after a frustrating season so far, one of Lampard's key questions will be what role his first choice striker can play in the first games back.
How does he integrate Neal Maupay into the first team should Calvert-Lewin's recovery need patience?
Should Calvert-Lewin need to be handled carefully when the season resumes, Everton's first choice up top will be Neal Maupay. The summer signing from Brighton scored the winner against West Ham United in his second game for the Blues but has not netted since. Dealt a difficult hand as he has been used around Calvert-Lewin's injury comebacks, it has, at times, felt as though he has been put into a system setup more specifically for his teammate - despite the two being very different players. There were flickers of a growing understanding between Maupay and the attacking players around him in Australia and if Lampard is uncertain about Calvert-Lewin's availability, it will be crucial that those relationships - and the tactics needed to help give Maupay a chance of success - are worked upon ahead of Wolves.
Conclude contract talks with key players
Talks over new contracts for Jordan Pickford, Anthony Gordon and Alex Iwobi have been ongoing for some time. The noises are positive on negotiations with Iwobi, who was outstanding in the first part of this campaign, but Lampard and those around him will want to know where they stand with three of their key men as soon as possible. Another player whose future holds a degree of uncertainty is that of teenager Isaac Price. The midfielder enjoyed a superb trip to Australia and has been an important part of the U21s during this campaign. He is out of contract at the end of the season and is likely to be a talent the club will be working hard to secure.
Role of the youngsters in Everton's short term plans
Lampard has a reputation for developing young players and has sought to give opportunities to Everton's starlets whenever possible. Price made his Premier League debut against Arsenal on the final day of last season while Cannon made his senior debut then Premier League debut in the Carabao Cup and league trips to Bournemouth in the final days before the break. Cannon's form has been sensational this season, the teenager scoring for fun at youth level and against senior sides in the Papa John's Trophy. He is coveted by a host of Football League sides eager to explore his availability for loan but Everton are a side short of goals and Cannon is a natural scorer, albeit a young one. If Calvert-Lewin is not 100% by Boxing Day, Cannon might get a chance to at least feature on the bench. Meanwhile the prospect of senior squad involvement may also be useful to enticing Price to signing a new deal with the club.
What is Amadou Onana's most effective role?
During the Premier League defeats to Leicester City and Bournemouth in the final week before the break it was clear that Amadou Onana had been pushed further forward within Everton's formation. It was a move that confused some supporters, who felt he was most effective when operating alongside Idrissa Gueye in a deeper role in the centre of Everton's midfield. Lampard believes Onana can work well playing slightly higher - and more in line with Alex Iwobi - and took heart from the work that led to Everton's two significant chances in the defeat to Leicester. He has since accepted there is a degree of learning still being done about where Onana, still a young, developing player who is new to the Premier League, best fits. This will be another factor to work on in training when Onana returns to Finch Farm as Everton look to find the right balance in the middle.
READ NEXT:
- Petty Jordan Pickford claims about Everton and England are myth and sheer ignorance
- Former Everton staff member slams 'absolute nonsense' rumours about James Rodriguez
- Move over Harry Kane - Dixie Dean's England football record vs France
- Andros Townsend gives 'honest' Goncalo Ramos verdict as Portugal star linked with Everton transfer
- Carlo Ancelotti doubles down on Richarlison Everton praise amid Real Madrid transfer links
