Frank Lampard’s very existence as Everton boss will almost certainly hinge on whether he can get himself a striker.
It’s as simple as that - and Lampard won’t need telling the stark simplicity of his problem. Losing the first two games is hardly a sackable offence but the pressure gets cranked up as does the need for someone who can provide that most valuable of assets - GOALS.
Whether it's pounds, euros or rupees, the only currency with real value is goals. The merits of flogging Richarlison to Tottenham becomes more and more questionable even though the £50m cheque looked tremendous value.
But that and the loss of Dominic Calvert-Lewin leave Everton looking like a side with little or no real goal threat. Make no mistake, they could easily have had a point from this game and they really had Villa rocking in the last few minutes. But the end result remains the same and that’s the last thing anyone needs when the heat is being turned up. With no imminent return for Calvert-Lewin, Lampard must be ready to bash down the boardroom door demanding they splash the cash to get a proven goalscorer.
It’s not as if they weren’t without chances against Villa but it all looked a bit lukewarm when it really mattered. Anthony Gordon is a player of real ability and promise of more to come but he doesn’t really scare defenders. Neither did any of the other unlikely pack of players prowling around anywhere near goal. Dwight McNeill squandered a couple of decent opportunities and the best effort of all came from Demarai Gray - a stinger which forced Emi Martinez to beat away.
It wasn’t penetrative enough by and large and Lampard looked a frustrated figure as his side toiled to get back on level terms after Danny Ings had put the home side ahead. That’s it you see, Ings’ best days may well be behind him, but his ability to grab a goal has never been in question. It’s what he does. Lampard had no peers when it came to scoring goals from midfield but he knows it’s the front men who are the sought after guys.
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That’s why they cost a lot of money and it’s about time Everton dug deep and swallowed the fact that they may have to spend more than they want to. Michy Batshuayi at Chelsea has been mentioned along with Sasa Kaljdzic from Stuttgart - along with dozens more, but still nothing has been forthcoming. Lampard will know that unless a quick fix is provided he could be the one paying the price. Sacking managers without giving them much time has always bordered on the ridiculous but Lamaprd’s first full pre-season hasn’t gone well.
Only three players have come in - McNeill, James Tarkowski and Ruben Vinagre - hardly a line-up to have Everton fans doing the conga. Everton go into a run of three fixtures now which could prove absolutely crucial because they are ones they would have fancied winning a couple of weeks ago. They may still do but a similar return from clashes with Nottingham Forest, Brentford and Leeds is unthinkable. It would be for the players and the supporters . . . but it’s a prospect Lampard surely won’t want to dwell on.
