Frank Lampard insists he is doing ‘everything’ he can to keep Everton in the Premier League. A huge game at the bottom of the Premier League sees the Toffees travel to Burnley knowing a win would see them close the gap on Leeds United to just two points.
However, defeat would spell disaster for Everton and could be the platform Burnley need to launch their survival bid. The Clarets are four points from safety but victory would lift them to within touching distance of 17th - a position Sean Dyche has capitalised on many times before.
Relegation for Everton would be their first since 1951 - despite spending over £500million on new players since Farhad Moshiri’s arrival in February 2016. Pressure is at boiling point around Goodison Park but Lampard - who has lost six of his eight top-flight games in charge - is remaining upbeat.
Read more: Dyche's plea as Leeds United relegation rivals Burnley and Everton gear up for six-pointer
“At Everton, we have a great history and tradition of being in the Premier League for so long and having huge success along the way,” he told Liverpool Echo. “Of course, there will be apprehension from the fans, I get that. That’s normal.
“My job is to keep working and I have found nothing but positivity from the fans, particularly at Goodison, and they have a right to have strong emotions either way for this club. I can completely understand the feeling but they need to know we are giving everything, I certainly am, to keep us in this league. That is the job ahead of us.”
Lampard admitted that the nerves will be amplified tonight due to the opponent but this is something his side must deal with. He added: “When you play against a competitor, a rival down there, then there is even more on that and I suppose that is why the tension is ramped up.
“One of the things we are working towards (is to) get our performance right first. If we can get results then things can look very different, very quickly and it can change the feeling not just of the players but of the whole club and that is what we have to do.”
Everton sit rock-bottom of the Premier League away table having won just once on the road all season. Despite their poor record, the Toffees will still see the trip to Turf Moor as a must-win as their upcoming fixtures look daunting. Lampard, however, believes he has already seen signs of improvement.
“We have to accept that (the away record),” he said. “It is a reality but I think our game against West Ham showed how we can perform away. In some of the games since we have been here we have been competing and things have gone against us, or something has happened in the game - conceding a goal or whatever – and we haven’t reacted well enough.
“So it is a work in progress. We have five at home and five away to go. That’s something we want to improve on and are working towards doing it.”
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