Everton manager Frank Lampard has echoed Neville Southall’s sentiments that his team need to get nasty in their relegation dog fight while lifting the lid on the mood in the dressing room. Southall, who is the most-decorated player in the Blues’ history while also holding the club’s appearance record, claimed that the current side were too nice in an interview with Sky Sports.
Lampard admitted that the former Wales international – widely considered to be the best goalkeeper in the world at the peak of his powers – had a point with his remarks and when asked if there needs to be more nastiness in the Everton team, said: “We certainly do need that and I think all teams need that.
“Neville Southall is an absolute legend who played in an incredible team that I just about remember as a young lad but we’re working towards becoming a better team with better results and maybe a better mentality and better performances.
READ MORE: Frank Lampard names Yerry Mina Everton return date and makes Dominic Calvert-Lewin pledge
READ MORE: Frank Lampard gives honest response to speculation over his job as Everton manager
“Those things are a work in progress, I understand that. But at the same time that’s just a bit of a challenge for the players. When great players who have played in great teams say things like that, it’s a good challenge.
“In the period we’re in now, we’re fighting for results, yeah we have to be controlled nasty, if that’s the right word.”
Lampard also provided an insight into the mood of the Everton dressing room. When asked how the players were showing their emotions, he said: “That’s a good question because I think sometimes people can make judgements from the outside about attitude and application whatever and that goes hand in hand with the results. It doesn’t.
“The result on Wednesday was because of our individual mistakes that lost us that game. The players are not running less than the opposition, they’re not fighting less than the opposition, we have the stats, we have everything to back that up.
“That’s how we train and that’s what we demand. If somebody didn’t do it then they wouldn’t play. At the same time we have to demand there are things within our game, at times critical things in both boxes, that are affecting us and affecting the result.
“If we score, 3-1, we win the game on Wednesday or we don’t. The table looks different. But you have to keep working the same way, you have to keep working in training with what we want the players to do daily for every game and keep working and keep believing in that.
“I saw a positive group of players this morning, I don’t want to say we’re all happy, running around and it’s all great, because they’ve got an understanding of the situation but they’re positive because they know what needs to be done. I say that, we’ve got a great captain who says that, so we have to keep working for those results.”
