Chris Sutton has warned Frank Lampard he risks damaging the Everton dressing room after he questioned his squad’s courage after losing to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup quarter-final.
The Eagles eliminated the Blues 4-0 at Selhurst Park on Sunday to secure a semi-final with Chelsea at Wembley. Patrick Vieira’s side continually had Everton’s number, as the Toffees rarely threatened while their youthful opponents gave plenty of excitement at the other end.
Everton had appeared to gain some morale amid their Premier League relegation battle by beating Newcastle United last Thursday. But the effects of facing the Magpies in midweek before visiting south London took its toll on the Merseyside natives from the early stages.
Andros Townsend’s early exit did not help Everton’s situation at Crystal Palace, either. The Toffees had shown signs of threatening before his injury-enforced substitution. But his exit gave the Eagles greater optimism, and let the Selhurst Park outfit regroup and change tact.
Everton’s performance at Crystal Palace left Lampard dumfounded after the FA Cup affair. The Blues boss hit out at his players, venting via quotes by BBC Sport: “If you haven’t got the confidence to play, you can quickly flip it and say have you got the ________ to play?”
Sutton warns Lampard of ‘damaging’ impact of ‘dangerous’ Everton courage claim
Sutton wonders if Lampard will regret his claims criticising the Everton players’ mentalities upon reflection on his reaction to the Blues’ FA Cup defeat to Crystal Palace. He also warns the Toffees boss he risks fracturing an already broken dressing room through his language.
“He has to take responsibility, he’s the manager,” Sutton stated on BBC Radio 5 Live. “The team are in an absolute mess. But his language was extremely strong, questioning the side’s courage.
“I wonder whether he will regret some of the things he’s said because it can be damaging within the dressing room. It’s not a good dressing room at this time. But when you start questioning players’ courage, I think there may be a problem.
“He’s come out and slaughtered his players, and yet he needs these players to keep him up. So, what he said is very, very dangerous in my book. It’s a big gamble what he said and let’s see whether the players react.”
Lampard will have to hope his language has a positive effect on Everton when they look to bounce back from FA Cup heartache at Crystal Palace. He will need all of the Blues’ players in the right mind frame when they visit West Ham United after the international break.
Beating Newcastle last Thursday only gave the Toffees a three-point gap to Watford in the relegation zone. Losing to the Eagles will have also taken away any momentum the Blues hoped to build from the Toon affair.
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