Frank Lampard’s management of Yerry Mina will be crucial if Everton are to avoid Premier League relegation

Frank Lampard’s hopes of Premier League survival may rest on the game management of Yerry Mina as the club enters the final six games of the season.

Everton are currently two points below Burnley and five below Leeds United - both who play on Saturday - and have a huge game this weekend at home to Chelsea.

By the time they kick off at Goodison, the Toffees could be five points from safety, albeit with two games in hand on both sides above them.

Strong unbeaten runs for both Leeds and Burnley has dragged Everton into the bottom three for the first time this season, and Sunday’s defeat to Liverpool rubbed salt in an already painful wound.

Absent for the Merseyside derby - and absent for most of the season - was Mina, although this time he was not injured.

The Colombian colossus returned from a two month spell on the sidelines in the 1-1 draw at home to Leicester just four days before the derby, but talks with Lampard during those days made it clear he wasn’t worth risking for a game where points are highly unlikely.

The 27-year-old has only started nine Premier League games all season and managed just 238 minutes for Everton in 2022 - including 77 in the FA Cup fourth round win over Brentford in which he scored.

And history has shown that any incling of a rushed return to play almost always leads to a setback and more time on the treatment table.

The decision, then, was simple: sit out the derby and be available for the must win games that follow.

Mina pivotal to Everton success

Keeping Mina fit enough to play in those must win games may well be the difference between Premier League or Championship football next season - data from the Athletic’s Everton correspondent Patrick Boyland shows his importance.

In the 11 games Mina has played, Everton have averaged 1.4 points per game, whereas the 21 games without the defender has seen that average half to just 0.7.

To put that into context, if you take 1.4 points per game throughout the campaign, you end up on 53 points - enough to finish 12th last season - whereas 0.7 points per game leaves you with 27 points, which equals relegation.

Everton need a leader at the back. Seamus Coleman’s age has limited his contribution, Michael Keane has struggled to control a line and keep himself in check, while none of Mason Holgate, Ben Godfrey, Jonjoe Kenny or Vitaliy Mykolenko have the experience or presence to take charge.

The most vital aspect of Mina’s presence is to pull all of the above players - who, despite some performances, are good in their own right - into a cohesive unit capable of keeping opposition at bay.

The problem is having him available.

An Everton career ravaged by injury

The signing of Mina from Barcelona in 2018 was a huge statement from Everton as they tried to chase the pack and challenge for European football.

The irony was that the £28 million man was injured when Everton signed him, having suffered a foot injury prior to the move, and did not make his debut until a 90th-minute substitute appearance against Brighton in November.

A combination of foot and hamstring injuries caused Mina to miss a lot of his debut season, making just 10 Premier League starts.

In Mina’s best seasons for fitness - 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 - the defender managed over 20 starts in both as Everton finished 12th and 10th respectively.

This season the defender has had two lengthy spells out, both because of hamstring injuries, missing two months between October and December before the most recent spell which has seen him absent for 14 league games.

Those missed games have seen Everton plummet, and now he returns to a club devoid of confidence and leadership with six games to bring it back.

Whether Lampard will risk his key man in all six remains to be seen, but he is likely to rest Mina in at least one of them.

The Toffees have six games to squeeze into the next three weeks, with the longest period of rest being between Sunday’s game against Chelsea and next Sunday’s trip to Leicester.

Every weekend game after that is followed by another mid-week, with three must win games against Warford, Brentford and Crystal Palace forced into an seven-day spell.

The goal is simple: keep Mina fit and available for the run-in and it could be the deciding factor in the club’s future.

If only it were that simple.