Sacking last year came with his team dysfunctional and doubts over his man-management – he cannot afford to fail again
Frank Lampard has a point to prove. He will know that plenty of people will wonder why he has been given the chance of a fresh start at Everton. There are questions to answer after Lampard’s sacking by Chelsea and, although the former England midfielder has time to alter perceptions of his coaching ability, it is hard not to feel that he needs this job to be a success.
If that sounds harsh, consider how it ended for him after 18 months at Chelsea. They had slumped to ninth after a series of tactically incoherent displays and, even taking into account Roman Abramovich’s ruthless streak, there was nothing outrageous about the Russian’s decision to fire Lampard 12 months ago.
