'The better we’ll get' - Frank Lampard may have…

'The better we’ll get' - Frank Lampard may have revealed Everton tactical plan

Frank Lampard looks set to persist with playing three centre backs this season as he plots ways for his Everton side to start picking up points.

The Blues boss adopted the formation of five at the back towards the end of the last campaign as injuries and the need for points forced him to be pragmatic. It his ambition to create a squad that is more flexible but after two games of the new Premier League season he appears to have settled on sticking to five at the back.

He has set up Everton in that manner for both games so far this, despite having lost two centre backs to serious injuries, looks set to maintain that approach.

Speaking after the 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa, Lampard explained: "We can play better with a back three. It gives you a lot of angles and we didn’t utilise them the way we should have done. The more we keep working on that, the better we’ll get."

Lampard is hopeful of building a squad that can adapt to different formations. After the pre-season defeat to Arsenal in the US he explained why he continued with five at the back, saying: "I would like to be a bit more flexible because at the minute we have to probably play a back three because of the personnel on this trip - a lot of centre halves and in midfield we don't really have natural holding midfielders to perhaps play three in midfield like Arsenal." He then experimented with a back four in the pre-season tie with Minnesota United.

While Everton were still gaining fitness and the MLS side were midway through their season, the 4-0 defeat that followed exposed the side's vulnerability when playing that way - Minnesota created a host of chances from getting behind Everton's full backs.

Everton have started with five at the back ever since and Lampard's comments after Villa come as little surprise. Amadou Onana has been added to his midfield options but a spate of injuries in central midfield has further undermined any attempt to move to a back four. The Blues have also looked solid at the back in both league games while the system has allowed right wing back Nathan Patterson the freedom to show attacking promise in his first two Premier League appearances. While injuries to two of the three starting centre backs against Chelsea - Ben Godfrey and Yerry Mina - have reduced Lampard's options the signing of Conor Coady has strengthened the defence. Lampard is confident Coady, who has operated at the heart of Wolverhampton Wanderers' three man centre defence over recent years, can be effective in a back four if needed, however.

He also believes Everton have enough cover in that area of the pitch despite the recent injuries. He said: "I think so, see how it goes in the next couple of weeks. We have different cover in there now with Conor coming in."

James Tarkowski, Mason Holgate, Michael Keane and academy starlet Reece Welch remain available with Coady, while Seamus Coleman is nearing a return. The club captain finished last season playing on the right side of a centre back three.

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