Frank Lampard says Everton progress won’t get ‘derailed’ ahead of Manchester City test

Frank Lampard has said there has been progress at Everton and the players are feeling confident but he can’t ‘wave a magic wand’ ahead of Saturday’s hosting of Manchester City.

The Everton manager has also hailed the visitors as the best in the league but is confident he can get a result at Goodison Park.

The Toffee’s have won back-to-back home games under Lampard but face a City side who have triumphed in the last nine meetings with their hosts and won 14 of their last 16 Premier League games.

But Lampard has seen definite progress since taking over in January and added that the mood around the club has been confident and positive.

“I would have liked to have won all of our games but it’s the Premier League,” Lampard said.

“When you’re playing at this level, you don’t expect to come in and wave a magic wand. I’ve seen progress behind the scenes, in two really good performances and some of our weaknesses in defeats.

“This is the Premier League and it’s football. We’re certainly not going to get derailed from what we’re working towards. The players have been good, confident, positive.”

Looking ahead to hosting City

Games don’t come much bigger than hosting Manchester City and Pep Guardiola.

The Spaniard has won 24 of his 25 games against English managers - the only defeat being to Lampard’s Chelsea in June 2020.

And the former Chelsea boss was full of admiration for both Guardiola and his side but won’t be caught up with their quality on Saturday evening.

“Every time you go up against [Guardiola] you feel a very complete team,” Lampard said.

“It’s not only the in-game feeling, but when you prepare and you see them.

“Their winning record is incredible this season, even when they lose it doesn’t generally look like a normal loss. I’m taking them at face value, we have to be very organised and aggressive - and take our opportunities to do positive things in the game.

“I think Tottenham defended very well, very organised and closed the distances. The main thing you have to be is together and very active, very focused on the game. We have to approach it in our own way, we’ll have our own style and preparation.

“There’s a reason why they’re top and they’re the best team. We have to worry about ourselves and try and get a result.”

Support for Mykolenko

Lampard didn’t want to say whether Ukrainian left-back Vitaliy Mykolenko would be involved on Saturday but he did add that both himself and the club have offered the necessary support.

The 22-year-old has been understandably distressed regarding the ongoing situation in his homeland but Lampard emphasised that all the support is in place if needed.

“He’s ok. I’ve spoken to him, the club has spoken to him,” Lampard added.

“He has every bit of support he can possibly have from our end if and when he needs it. It’s ultra important he feels that from us and he does. The decision on if he’ll play, we’ll speak about.”

Lampard also confirmed that both Abdoulaye Doucoure and Demarai Gray could be available for Saturday after training for the week, although Ben Godfrey remains unavailable as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury.