It is a passage that will surely tarnish the future of Frank Lampard for his next experiences on a bench. After an encouraging and then disappointing spell at Chelsea, the former Stamford Bridge idol failed at Everton. Without benchmarks, the former midfielder with 106 caps with the Three Lions has not made old bones on the side of Goodison Park. Following an atrocious first half of the season punctuated by a nineteenth-place finish unworthy of the Toffees’ standard, Lampard was sacked last January.
Beyond the poor performance of his team on the ground, the 45-year-old coach was not unanimous either in his locker room. In a long interview with The Athletic, Abdoulaye Doucouré expressed his bitterness towards Lampard: “If the previous coach had stayed a few more weeks, I would have left. It was impossible not to play for a year, but I think with him that was the plan. Even if I trained well and fresh, I don’t think he would put me in the team. It was as if he had something personal against me. I knew that if the club changed coaches, I would have a chance again. So I had to keep my head down, wait for my chance and it worked out fine.With this abnegation, the former Rennais scored the goal of maintenance for Everton last June.
