Overlapping full-backs, a change in mentality and making the most effective use of Everton's wingers are all part of Frank Lampard's plans to help boost his side's creativity.
The Blues have not had a shot on target in 180 minutes and have struggled to create chances, particularly when chasing the game in recent defeats to Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United. Lampard hopes part of the solution will come naturally as Dominic Calvert-Lewin continues his comeback from injury and new signings Neal Maupay and Dwight McNeil further integrate into the setup.
He also believes more work to develop the threat of the likes of Demarai Gray and Anthony Gordon, both in front of goal and in their relationships with the full-backs behind them, will help Everton carry greater menace - adding part of the current issues may be teething problems as he tries to change the side from one focused on counter-attacking to one with a more progressive style.
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Everton have scored just once in their last three games and eight times all season. Their attacking threat was undermined by the loss of Calvert-Lewin to a freak knee injury on the eve of the campaign and, while the side had two golden opportunities against Spurs, his return is yet to spark them into life. The struggles in front of goal came into sharp focus following the defeat at Newcastle, where Eddie Howe's side was able to prevent Everton from creating any clear cut chances. Lampard was open about the need to strengthen his forward line in the summer, particularly after the sale of talisman Richarlison. Maupay and McNeil followed but late efforts to further boost the club's firepower fell just short, with targets including Mohammed Kudus and Mykhaylo Mudryk, who have both since enjoyed success in the Champions League.
Everton will continue to look at ways to strengthen up top in the January transfer window but Lampard is keen to develop his current squad after his first full transfer window gave him the opportunity to start shaping it according to his plans. While he attempts to change the approach of the side - moving to a back four for the trip to Leeds United and sticking with it since - he is aware the team is facing growing pains and acknowledged there are times when everything does not quite "connect right".
He explained: "Newcastle was that game for us. We competed with them well in the middle part of the pitch generally, but not particularly in the attacking box, and that is when you get to work and have to find ways. Whether that involves having a full back higher up the pitch or midfielders joining in more while keeping security, we have to make sure we do that to connect from back to front in possession. From being a counter-attacking team to more of a possession team there are going to be bumps in the road. Newcastle was a little bump because we didn’t connect well enough and I expect us to be better at that [against Crystal Palace].
Lampard has been pleased with the creativity offered through the middle by Alex Iwobi this season but is aware his side need to cause problems from other areas. And he is far from blind to an issue raised by supporters frustrated by recent performances - that Everton are struggling to pose a threat from out wide. Part of this is down to the mentality shift he is trying to encourage, he said. He inherited a situation in which he quickly had to turn to pragmatism to get results, his hand forced by the players available and the peril Everton faced upon his arrival. Over the summer he began a shift to a more progressive style. One of the points for development is the approach of wingers who for so long had the responsibility of running with the ball from deep in a bid to relieve pressure. Doing so makes it harder for their full backs to provide support, something that has been telling in recent matches.
Lampard said: "I came into a counter attacking team, that was the style of the previous manager and in effect we had to finish the season that way because it felt the most secure way to defend deeper. The players are used to travelling with the ball at pace which means it is very difficult to get a full back to overlap at pace because they are not in position to, and can’t keep up in basic terms. That is why I liked our West Ham performance [which Everton won 1-0] because we handled possession and had many more overlaps, which gave our wingers a chance. Any winger in the modern game, with how teams defend, if you try and beat people all the time then you are trying to beat 1-2-3 men which is difficult. It is a team thing on that front with full backs who can join in. We have lost [Nathan] Patterson recently and he was really effective at that earlier in the season. [Vitalii] Mykolenko can improve and he knows that because he has the attributes to do so, and then the wingers themselves we can work on them consistently so they are delivering from wide areas but also arriving in the box to score goals now. Our wingers are relatively young, none of them have scored as many goals as I think they should do, and they can contribute more of that side. We work on that a lot and talk about it a lot and the reality is that we need to do that more. So it is a joint responsibility. I take it for the team structure but the players, we want them to be more prolific in those areas."
While Gray and Gordon look to run with the ball, McNeil offers different options - and his crossing ability could be crucial with the return of Calvert-Lewin. He can also provide his own goal threat, the 22-year-old scoring an emphatic winner at Southampton and providing two goals in his first Goodison Park appearance, a friendly against Dynamo Kyiv. On McNeil, Lampard said: "I think he can play on both wings effectively for us, whether it is coming inside on the right or being and out and out left winger, old school as you may think, delivering balls into the box, and with Dominic fit that becomes more a prominent threat. We need to be patient with Dwight. People under-estimate his youth because its feels like he has been around for a long time, he is still a young player who has moved clubs. I want him to get better, I will work with him to make him more of a threat for us. He can be a threat off either wing and he is different to our other wingers in terms of he will be the one who could naturally cross the ball earlier, whereas we all know Anthony and Demarai like to travel with the ball more. That can be a nice option for us."
While Lampard insists patience is key as he tries reshape this Everton side, he is also clear that he understands supporters' frustration over recent performances. Of the past three games he was underwhelmed by the display against Man United, was pleased with the first half against Spurs and only parts of the Newcastle match on Wednesday.
Ahead of the tie with Crystal Palace, he said: "I think and I feel the fans understand where we are at to a degree. I don’t want to rely on that because it’s very important for us to keep striving to get better in performances and results. As much as these have been three tough games I know there are areas we can improve as a team and it’s my job to get it right first and foremost... you want time to continue to work and show the progress. Hopefully that shows in points but the realism is quite simple from where we were last season, in terms of what we want on the pitch, but also what we are doing off the pitch. That is continual work to change the squad, the wage bill, the culture and things that are really important to what you see on the pitch in the end. I certainly feel from being in this job that we are working really well on lots of levels but it won’t always show in results in a period of a few tough games. I don’t like it, because I want to win every game, but I think that’s a reality."
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