Frank Lampard has called on his Everton players to show the courage required to beat the drop - and claimed his style of play can keep them up.
A listless display against Wolves - which saw the visitors stroll to a victory which takes them within four points of fifth-placed Manchester United - leaves the Blues perilously placed just above the relegation zone.
Only goal difference now stands between them and the bottom three in the Premier League, but Lampard remained defiant as he insisted his side have plenty of time and opportunity to stay up.
“We and the players have to stay brave. We have to stick to how we want to play. When we play through lines we can be a really effective team,” he said.
“My job first and foremost is to give confidence to the players and to do the only thing that matters which is to stay up. We have to have the absolute desire and fight to get out of this.
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“It has been a long time that we haven’t been winning enough games and that doesn’t change overnight. But it can change very quickly.”
Lampard has tried to bring a more pressing and possession based identity to his side, but they were always second best to a Wolves team who patiently waited for the pressure to build on the home side.
That came as anxiety on the terraces spilled over, with fans angrily demanding Everton get the ball forward more swiftly, but Lampard countered:
“We were playing more direct before I got here, and I think we won one game in 14. We can’t revert to something in between, we have to do one thing or the other.
“We have to stick to how we want to play. Can we do it better? Sure. But we have to continue to be brave in what we do. It is my job to be confident, positive and realistic.
“We have 12 games and we are waiting for that moment when things turn in our favour. All we can do is work. We can’t think about maybes and what ifs. We have to work and fight.
“If you want to make sure you stay in the league, you want to fight. But it is not about one game. We have 12 games left and we have to see the bigger picture - if things go in our favour on Thursday, it will look very different.”
While Everton are now firmly looking over their shoulders, Wolves are looking ahead, with a European place very firmly up for grabs, after Conor Coady’s goal gave important victory.
And boss Bruno Lage insisted this win can provide the belief and confidence his side need to force their way into Europe.
“This was important because the players need to believe and to have the courage and confidence to play,” he said.
“After the game against Crystal Palace, the disappointment was we didn’t play (at all). From now on we need to be there with courage and confidence. But this and the 46 points we have given us this confidence.”
