Frank Lampard chose to play four at the back against Liverpool because he believed a riskier gamble would have been to play an extra defender.
In a clear sign of how much his faith has grown in his Everton squad, the Blues boss stuck with a back four after the formation showed signs of promise at Leeds United in midweek. Last season, Everton played with three centre backs and allowed Liverpool to dominate possession in the Anfield Merseyside derby in April.
Lampard felt he had no choice as his injury-hit side fought for points during a desperate relegation battle. Over the summer he sought to move to a back four but was given a warning when his defence was repeatedly exposed in the 4-0 friendly defeat to Minnesota United. It appeared he would have to ditch plans to play with two centre backs but growing faith in his squad following the end of the transfer window saw him return to a back four on Tuesday and then retain that approach against one of world football's most ruthless attacks.
It was a move that was ultimately justified as Everton not only kept their first clean sheet of the season but also created a host of chances in an even game at Goodison Park.
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Asked whether he felt he was gambling when he opted to play 4-3-3, Lampard said: "A gamble could also be to let Liverpool control the game and camp out in your own half and I thought we made an effort to stop that with how we pressed from central areas. People like Alex Iwobi and Tom Davies and Amadou [Onana] in midfield trying to get up to people when we could. We had a lot of moments against them in transition but also in good play and just working well and getting down the side in the first half with [Nathan] Patterson. There were a lot of good things about our game. We played well with a back four the other day and having an extra body in midfield absolutely helps when you are playing against a team like Liverpool who will flood that area in their build and I thought we dealt with them very well."
For the first time this season, Everton grew stronger as the game went on. Lampard made no substitutions at Leeds in a move that appeared to be a plea for late support in the transfer window. On Saturday Idrissa Gana Gueye was introduced for the final half an hour, the deadline day signing offering stability and control in the midfield Lampard had craved long before the protracted negotiations that eventually brought him back to Everton had begun.
Agreeing his side looked stronger in the later stages against Liverpool that at any other point this season, Lampard said: "They are options I haven’t had, which is great. As I felt we were tiring slightly and the team needed an injection and with Gana he came in and showed his quality straight away. And he hasn't trained that much so we know we can expect from him going forward now. But I thought the team, generally, we had to suffer in little moments. Early in the second half we were off it slightly, second balls were dropping to them and they were sustaining pressure. We flipped it and it became a game where we had a lot of really good moments and for the second time in a week we ended up a few centimetres from three points. We have to keep working because eventually I think if you do the right things and perform the way we did today the points, or the wins, will come."
While Everton remain winless after six Premier League games, this was a point the manager welcomed and, for him, was a performance that represented clear progress. He said: "I thought it was a great game, I thought it was a great performance from us, from both teams, full of intensity and quality. Of course both the goalkeepers made saves but I am really proud of the players because Liverpool are a top team and they have been a top team for a long time. They are well coached and they have great players. From moments when you feel 'we are OK' and they can make you feel 'not OK' very quickly. We dealt with so many of those moments in different ways. So I am very, very happy with our performance, I am happy with the point because you look at it and they had good chances but so did we. I thought it was an outstanding 0-0."
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