Frank Lampard believes 'being there' for his players is an important part of his role as Everton manager.
The Blues boss spoke about the pressures of the modern game and the support he feels it is vital to provide to his squad as he offered insight into the behind-the-scenes work taking place amid speculation surrounding Anthony Gordon's future. The 21-year-old scored his first goal of the season against Brentford, displaying anticipation and composure as he latched on to a Conor Coady pass and finished beyond David Raya.
It was part of an all-action display put together as the world of football offers intense scrutiny of Chelsea's pursuit of the starlet, with Everton already having rejected a £45m bid from the London club. Lampard said he will be there 'no matter what' for Gordon while he is at Goodison Park.
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Lampard highlighted the huge amount of attention on Gordon brought about by Chelsea's late summer push for the England Under-21 international as he praised the academy graduate for his attitude. Helping the player deal with that scrutiny is something Lampard believes falls within his remit - and is a subject he has his own experience with due to the career he enjoyed as a player and his experiences within it, including moving from his boyhood club West Ham United to Chelsea at the age of 22.
He said: "I speak every day with Anthony at the moment because I understand this is a difficult moment for him and it brings a lot of attention. We expect young people to just handle it and it’s not that simple. They have their phones and everyone around them telling them different things; some things I’ll like, some things I won’t. So it’s important for me to be there. The manager and coach should be expected to support players and I’ll do that no matter what happens while Anthony is an Everton player. I see him being an Everton player for a long time and I see his career as an England player going for a long time.
"So my advice to him now when it comes to training and playing is: cut out anything in his head. Cut out the noise and prepare, train and play like he did [against Brentford]. I was delighted for him to play with that type of resilience. People just expect that he’ll come out and it doesn't effect him... but he played a great game. I'm delighted for him."
The man management and personal skills of Lampard and his coaching staff came to the fore during the final months of last season. Not only did they create a renewed spirit in the dressing room that halted a slide taking the club to the Championship, they were also able to build bridges with the fanbase as the club united during the survival bid.
That Lampard views the 'human side' of his role as key was highlighted further in his comments when asked about the struggles of Dele Alli, who has now left the club in a loan deal that has taken him to Turkey. He said: "In my job you have to have the football side and the human side. I like Dele and I want to help him. The main thing I want to do is be a support for the players."
It is not just Lampard who views this as key, however, with his backroom staff working to provide a support network for the players should they need it. Lampard explained: "We always have that support there. If they want support from outside it’s a personal issue but we’ll explore every avenue around that. I'm not a psychologist but it’s my job to do my best to support players day to day in every situation and I think we’re pretty good at that. It isn’t just on my shoulders so I want to thank my staff too."
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