Lampard must learn from Chelsea errors to make success of Everton

Frank Lampard has a point to prove. He will know that plenty of people will wonder why he has been given the chance of a fresh start at Everton. There are questions to answer after Lampard’s sacking by Chelsea and, although the former England midfielder has time to alter perceptions of his coaching ability, it is hard not to feel that he needs this job to be a success.

If that sounds harsh, consider how it ended for him after 18 months at Chelsea. They had slumped to ninth after a series of tactically incoherent displays and, even taking into account Roman Abramovich’s ruthless streak, there was nothing outrageous about the Russian’s decision to fire Lampard 12 months ago.

Chelsea were right to act. They had spent £220m during the summer of 2020 but performances were disappointing and morale in the dressing-room was low. Lampard had fallen out with some big players and he knew his time was up when he woke to an early morning text from Chelsea’s chairman, Bruce Buck, and saw that his presence was required in the boardroom.

Buck and Marina Granovskaia, the powerful Chelsea director, thanked Lampard for his efforts. Less than 24 hours had passed since Chelsea’s victory over Luton in the FA Cup, but the decision had been made. Thomas Tuchel was available and the German would go on to make a stunning impact, doing Lampard’s reputation few favours by winning the Champions League four months after taking over.

The difference under Tuchel was stark. Chelsea conceded 54 league goals during Lampard’s first season and the defence did not improve during his second campaign. Opponents repeatedly punished an invitingly open midfield by hurting Chelsea on the counterattack and one of the first things that Tuchel did was to make a