Sunday afternoon saw Frank Lampard lay down something of a challenge to his Everton squad. For the majority of his time as manager, he's comforted them through tough spells and tried to help them along to better results with affection.
However, the soft approach came screeching to a halt after being comfortably knocked out of the FA Cup against Crystal Palace. Following a humbling 4-0 defeat, the manager called out the confidence and mentality of his players.
He accused them of playing at 70% throughout their defeat to the Eagles, knowing that's not enough to achieve what they needed to. And, he knows there's a lot of important work over the course of the international break to drastically improve performances as much as possible ahead of a crucial relegation fight.
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There has been some debate following his post-match comments over whether Lampard should have called out his players in such a way. What there can be no question over, though, is that Everton's style needs to change.
A lot of factors have led to fluctuating form over recent weeks and months, but the Crystal Palace match in particular showed up some glaring errors. The players were at fault not just for their quality, but the way in which they fit into the system at hand for the match.
Many Evertonians expected the Blues to line up in a 4-3-3 style, or a 4-2-3-1 as was effective against Newcastle United, at Selhurst Park. Granted injuries and suspensions had affected options in the centre of the pitch particularly, but there were perceived ways in which that could be worked around.
Perhaps Alex Iwobi could line up as a No.10 with Abdoulaye Doucoure and Andre Gomes behind him. Maybe a centre-back could step forwards into a defensive midfield role. There would even be a potential for Isaac Price to perhaps step into a trio in the centre of the park.
All of those were options, but not exactly ideal. In that sense, you can understand on the face of things why the manager would revert to a three-at-the-back system which he has used on multiple occasions in the past - even during his brief spell so far at Goodison Park.
In theory, three first-team central defenders should be able to provide a solid base to build from, picking the ball up from the goalkeeper before working the space around their opponents to play forwards. Then, of course, they need to stay concentrated and resolute to make sure they don't concede goals at that end of the pitch.
As we now know, that didn't happen. After a strong start with Everton pressing on the front foot, when Palace gained more possession in the second period the defensive line often struggled to deal with the movement on display from the hosts' array of exciting attacking talent.
But one particular passage of play in the second half, shared across social media in the days after the defeat, caught the attention of many. It showed Everton in the 56th minute of the match, at 2-0 down, passing the ball patiently around the back for around 50 seconds.
The aim, as mentioned earlier, seemingly was to move the opposition out of position before playing the ball into the feet of one of the Blues attacking players to try and continue the attack. However, the clip itself summed up much of the frustrations that supporters had.
Whether it was the desired system from the manager or not, it's far away from what Evertonians want to see from their side. In fact, it's a distance from that they were producing in the opening minutes of that same match when they were on top.
That high-pressing, super-energised style was almost certainly unsustainable throughout the entire 90 minutes that would follow, but the speed of possession in attack is where the key element lies.
In the opening stages of the match the Blues were moving the ball in a fast and vibrant manner. They weren't giving Palace any time to settle into their defensive formations and they were able to create a number of openings which, in hindsight, they should have done much better with.
After the first goal for the hosts, though, that tactic seemed to go out the window for Everton. Replacing it was either the slow-and-steady build-up play seen in that clip, or hopeful long balls which were asking far too much of both Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin - when the latter was introduced at the break.
That particular clip from the second half might frustrate supporters as they can see opportunities for both Doucoure and Gomes to receive possession on the turn and potentially drive forward into big chunks of space in front of them. It's likely they were instructed not to do this to benefit the system, given the context of the whole match, but it disappointed fans all the same.
Because they like seeing that kind of football, those powerful runs from deep, taking the game to the opponents. Direct play, to Evertonians, doesn't mean long balls - it's attacking with a purpose and making the opposition uncomfortable even when they're at home.
While the formation and the system chosen by Lampard on Sunday made sense in theory, in practice the Blues couldn't get the balance right. With the players available to them for that match, they were always going to find it tricky to really make things work.
Ultimately, that's a real task for the manager to address over the coming international break - especially with some of his side's most important matches left this term being away from home. Confidence and quality of the players is a factor, but finding the right system for them can't be ignored.
It might be easier said than done, but the fans have always made clear the kind of style they want to see. Whether the players can implement it until the end of the season or not, they need to secure Premier League survival with whatever they can muster in the coming days.
