Everton defender Conor Coady states the Goodison Park squad has ‘too much respect’ for Frank Lampard to down tools. The Toffees boss is at risk of the sack as results remain poor.
Southampton travel to Merseyside to face the Blues on Saturday afternoon in a relegation six-pointer. Everton go into the match just 18th in the table, while the Saints sit bottom of the pack. But sides have also only won three of their 18 Premier League games this season.
No top-flight team has won fewer fixtures so far this term than Everton, Southampton and Wolves with three. The trio also make up the bottom three of the table. West Ham United with four wins only rank outside of the relegation zone on goal difference over the Toffees.
Everton have produced the third-worst top-flight offensive record so far this season with a mere 14 goals scored. Just Wolves (11) and Nottingham Forest (13) have found the back of the net less often. West Ham and Southampton have each scored 15 goals so far this term.
Southampton also go into their match at Everton after eliminating Premier League holders Manchester City from the Carabao Cup. The Saints edged the Citizens 2-0 on the back of a 2-1 win at Crystal Palace in the FA Cup. Yet they are without a win in seven in the league.
Everton owner Moshiri has moved to squash claims he could sack Lampard
Since hiring Nathan Jones to replace Ralph Hasenhuttl at the helm, Southampton have also lost each Premier League game. They are now on a six-match losing streak ahead of facing Everton, who are without a win in six. Lampard has faced four defeats since their last win.
Everton’s winless run stretches to eight in all competitions, creating a possibility that they sack Lampard. But Blues owner Farhad Moshiri urged Toffees fans to back the 44-year-old on talkSPORT this week. TalkSPORT had reported that Lampard’s future was on the brink.
The Goodison Park faithful have been vocal in recent weeks with calls to ‘sack the board’. Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson also claimed on BBC Radio 5 Live as Brighton & Hove Albion humbled Everton 4-1 at Goodison that ‘the players don’t look committed’, too.
Coady has come out in full defence of Lampard with his manager at risk
But Coady – who Lampard signed on loan from Wolves with a £4.5m option to buy back in the summer – has issued a staunch retort to accusations the Everton players have downed tools. He also believes the squad at Goodison must take full responsibility for their results.
“We have miles too much respect for our manager to be doing that,” the defender has told talkSPORT. “We believe in what he’s trying to do, we believe in him as a manager, him as a person, his staff and how he trains us every single day.
“We’ll listen to him every single day to try and get his ideas across on the pitch. It’s not the gaffer who goes out on the grass, it’s us. So, we have to take responsibility for where we are.”
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