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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Adam Jones

'Only option' - Frank Lampard explains 'important' Allan substitution after Everton defeat

Frank Lampard has admitted he must find a reason behind Everton's poor away form after another trip on the road on Saturday.

The Blues were beaten 2-0 by Southampton at St Mary's Stadium thanks to strikes in the second half from Stuart Armstrong and Shane Long.

Having looked strong against Leeds United in a rousing victory the previous weekend, the visitors on this occasion couldn't have looked much different as they failed to have a shot on target.

Everton have the worst away form in the Premier League this season, and Lampard believes that's a big reason behind why he is at the club.

He told his post-match press conference: "It's one of the reasons I'm here, our league position explains a lot.

"The table doesn't lie to that effect and we've not been getting enough results away from home for a while.

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"It's my job to find a reason. The great stuff at Goodison is being backed by the fans and then having the input of the players on the pitch. It's been tremendous.

"What we're seeing away is that when we're in games, not flying but in games, and they turn against us - there hasn't been the reaction that I want.

"So some of that will be a mentality issue in terms of the confidence of the players. They have to believe they can get back and they have to find ways to do that. Today they didn't find a way.

"It wasn't tactical elements of the game that upset me because it was a match-up, it was the fact that we stopped trying to play - which we played earlier on in the game pretty well.

"When the game turned we reverted to type. Longer balls, lacking second balls, lacking belief in each other to play through or around the press.

"So a lot of things I saw today we'll have to improve to get results."

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Defeat leaves Everton in 16th place in the Premier League table, four points away from the relegation zone but with a game-in-hand on many sides around them.

Lampard reiterated all of his side's problems were never going to be solved in such a short space of time.

"We're certainly focused on what the job is at hand," he added.

"We have to have a belief in what we're doing, the home games have shown that. I think it's very clear what's in front.

"There was never a magic wand and I was very understanding of the situation we came into. One win in 14, not playing as well as we want to.

"We've addressed a lot of things - the way we want to play and the confidence of the team - and we've seen that in the home games.

"But there's still the outstanding thing of, you can't change everything instantly. It's going to take a bit of time.

"Today was really eye-opening in the second half of where we need to get to, we need to stick to the principles of what we want to do.

"I want to change that, there's lots of things to learn."

After being booked in the first half on Saturday, Allan was replaced at the interval by Andre Gomes.

Lampard admitted that did affect the performance of his side, but he explained why he believes the decision to substitute the Brazilian was the right one.

"It did affect it, because Allan has been a very good player for me in the short time I've been here," the Everton boss remarked.

"He gives you a lot, bits on the ball and stuff off the ball. I felt it was important because the game was very transitional, turnovers and fouls both ways.

"It's hard to ask a player to hold back and we didn't want to go down to ten men, so I felt it was the only option I had and felt it was the right option at the time."

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