Frank Lampard has demanded that Everton are ‘robust’ as the club look to bounce back from successive Premier League defeats.
Everton’s six-game unbeaten run came to an end following successive losses to Manchester United and Tottenham, with the Toffees looking to respond at Newcastle on Wednesday evening.
Lampard is confident his team can overcome those setbacks and believes Everton are a stronger team than last season. Speaking at his pre-match press conference, he outlined his demands ahead of a ‘tough match’ at St James’ Park.
“The players have to be robust and keep their confidence. We are stronger than we were last season. We’re different.
“At the moment, with the feeling we have, I don’t think we’ll be disrupted by the two defeats. Behind closed doors, can we analyse those games and be better? For sure. But we have to have belief in ourselves.
“Newcastle are a robust, hard-working team and I always admire those attributes in a team. We feel we have those [qualities] as well.
“We know we are steps behind of where they are, but there is a level of optimism around here because people see little shoots of improvement.
🗣️ "The rules are you play well for your club to get there.”
Frank Lampard insists he will not rush Dominic Calvert-Lewin's return from injury 🤕pic.twitter.com/DR6olCXOnK
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 18, 2022
“This will be very tough match in front of us. It’s an evening game in front of a tough crowd. There will always be a big atmosphere, so let’s show some personality there.”
Amadou Onana gave an honest assessment of his performance after defeat at Spurs last weekend, with the midfielder critical of himself after missing a fine chance with the game goalless.
Lampard discussed the summer signing’s adaptation and believes the Belgian has a bright future at the club.
“Amadou’s a really talented boy and we’re delighted to have him here,” Lampard said. “I think there’s a lot more to come.
“From my early conversations with him, it was clear he has a very big personality and is a very driven young man.
“I’ve played alongside and worked with those type of players before. When I was at Chelsea, Kevin de Bruyne was around 21 and Romelu Lukaku was of a similar age – I’ve picked out those two because they are also Belgian – and you look at what they have done in their careers, and I hope Amadou will have his version of that.
“There are things he can learn about how he directs all that energy and talent he has. It’s my job to work closely with him on that. From what we’ve seen on the pitch so far, hopefully that’s just the start, because I have a huge amount of belief in him.”
