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Lampard On Forging Deep Everton Bond

Frank Lampard has opened up on the deep connection has quickly formed with Everton as he promised to continue fighting every day for the Club and Blues fans.

Speaking to evertontv in the aftermath of Saturday’s hard-fought 1-0 victory over Manchester United, Lampard also paid tribute to his team’s game-management after they dug in to secure three priceless points at Goodison Park, revealed his total belief in the players’ character, and outlined why Fabian Delph’s return to fitness can give the Toffees a vital boost for the Premier League run-in.

Read the key points from the boss’s interview below…

Lampard on how he motivated his players for the United game after defeat at Burnley…

By being positive. That’s my job. I don’t know of any job where you can hammer your employees or colleagues it works.

My job was to lift the lads, but they are good lads. The reality is these boys do want to work. They want the best and they want fight for this Club and I think the fans saw that.

When this place [Goodison Park] comes together, when the players fight like they did, and the fans were supportive and loud as they were… The performance levels have been really strong. We’ve won five out of seven here. I’m very happy but the perspective is we need more of this.

It’s a significant result in that it is three points, but we need more. There are challenges are to come.


On how Everton managed the game after going ahead against United…

The fighting spirit is the baseline. Then, when you get in a position like we did at 1-0 up, doing the things to win you the game.

It’s all about getting three points.

In moments in the game, we did the not-so-nice stuff, getting in the ball in the corner, fighting, stopping them counter-attacking. We did that really, really well, and that was very pleasing.

On what the win can do for Everton’s confidence….

Hopefully you ask me that after the Leicester game [on 20 April], because we haven’t backed up our wins in the league yet.

We have to bottle this feeling up and go again. We have to replicate the atmosphere and the approach to the game and go again.

In football, some things are simple. They aren’t simple to execute but they are to talk about. When you ask for running and tackles and fight, that’s a pretty simple thing.

We will concentrate on the real important parts of the United game that got us a result. Then the players have to replicate it.


On Fabian Delph’s impressive performance…

I hadn’t been able to play him yet [because of injury] but I have been really keen to, because he has got experience and this situation demands that.

He has also got positional awareness, the way receives the ball… He is a leader in the dressing room.

Hopefully we will also have Yerry Mina back for the next game. These are players who are really pivotal to what we’re trying to do, and Delphy came back and showed why [he is one of those].

Frank Lampard
Fabian has also got positional awareness, the way receives the ball… He is a leader in the dressing room.


On how he felt on the touchline in the final minutes of the United game…

Of course, I’m anxious when it’s 1-0, like the other 40,000 people in the stadium. That comes with it. You flip from anxiety to pleasure when you hear that final whistle. It’s what we’re in it for. We were desperate for that win.

I want to be successful. First, I want to stay up and then I want to become better next season so we’re not in this position.

On quickly establishing a bond with Everton and the Club’s fans…

It’s how I am. My wife says I’m quite impressionable. I go into a place and feel people have a passion for what they do and for their club – and I buy into it.

Especially that working-class desire that you see here… Fans who work all week, come to Goodison and want to see a team that fights and runs. We want to give them a result to take home and make them happy. I love doing that and I’m in it with them.

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