sport news Blaming Frank Lampard for Everton's problems misses the bigger picture ... trends now
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Another calamity in the competition that has been a source of misery for Everton but, somehow, this one leads to eyes on Frank Lampard.
A 4-1 humbling at Bournemouth on a grim, Tuesday night in November is one of those scorelines that come from nightmares, not least for the 1500 hardy souls who had made the 550-mile round-trip from Merseyside at significant expense.
The Carabao Cup should come with a health warning for Everton. They have never lifted the trophy that should, in theory, be the club’s prime objective every season and this elimination ranks alongside ones such as Bristol Rovers (2000), Blackburn (2008) and Queens Park Rangers (2021).
Frank Lampard received the blame for Everton's 4-1 hammering at Bournemouth on Tuesday
Those looking in from the outside will see Lampard and look to apportion the blame solely on him. He was guilty at the Vitality Stadium of making a mistake in his team selection, in putting his trust in players who haven’t been good enough, and for that criticism is understandable.
During one of his first press conferences on Merseyside, back in February, Lampard was asked whether he could fully trust this squad. He creased his face at the question, perhaps wondering why it had been asked, but nine months into the job he will understand why.
Everton’s squad remains riddled with individuals who haven’t been good enough or achieved the required consistency during their time at Goodison Park and when too many of them are bunched together, the consequences are chaotic; Bournemouth took great delight in inflicting misery.
You can be sure he won’t make the same mistake again.
But the Toffees' squad remains riddled with individuals who simply aren't good enough
