Season › 2022-23 › News Everton hope Australia trip can provide a reset Lyndon Lloyd 22/11/2022 30comments | Jump to last Everton’s coaching staff are hoping that the current mid-season tour to Sydney will have provided the players with a chance to build fitness and get back to some of the fundamentals as they look to improve their form when the Premier League season resumes after the World Cup. The Blues went into the six-week international break at a low ebb following three successive defeats in all competitions, two of them at Bournemouth where they shipped seven goals in total, but Frank Lampard says that part of the trip to Australia is to allow the players to bond and refocus. We have to relax a little bit and bond,” the manager said prior to Sunday’s goalless draw with Celtic that Everton won on penalties to claim the Sydney Super Cup. “We have to work hard. We have to play well in these games – people are always watching when you're playing for Everton. “It was always going to be a tough year for us from where we were last year [with] the experience of fighting against relegation. We're there again and that's what it is but we're trying to build. Sometimes the building process takes time.” Article continues below video content That sentiment has been echoed by first-team coach, Ashley Cole, who told the Liverpool Echo that he believes the break for Qatar 2022 came at the right time for Everton. “It wasn't something that was gonna just, you know, be a click of the fingers overnight and ‘we're going to be fine’,” the former England international left-back said. “But I think we added, we tried to work on focus points where we thought we needed as a group to work on. “And we started the season well. We were unlucky against Chelsea, then got some momentum — you know, beating West Ham United — and then we were a little bit disappointed against Leicester. “I think we were on the right path, and then you lose three games and football is fickle. It changes opinions and, in terms of focus, this break for us probably came at a good time. And now we've got to refocus on hopefully getting our players back from the World Cup nice and healthy and really working on some key details that focus on us again “[T]he players are really confident and feel that we are a group that should be pushing. But again, it's going to take time. “[I]t was important that we came here and worked on a few bits, but as a group tried to get some fundamentals back to where we feel they should be. And again, it's just to get some fitness. We didn't want to spend one month at home without doing any work. So we've been able to come here, enjoy the weather, enjoy a beautiful city, but also work hard. “[The squad includes] players that need to top up with fitness because they've not got that many minutes in the Premier League but it is also an opportunity to, you know, prove you should be in the team. “I think every day you're with the group of players or training in front of us as staff, you're always trying to prove that you're ready and good enough to get back into the team. As a big exercise of coming here I think it has worked really, really well.” Frank Lampard interview with Toffee TV Reader Comments (30) Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer () Gerard Carey 1 Posted 22/11/2022 at 18:53:34 Time will tell if this jolly down-under will bear fruit. A lot of these players have had numerous chances under different managers and failed every time.We can't hide the fact that this trip is a waste of time. What is more important is that we get in a striker or two in January. Oh for another Kevin Campbell or the like!!!! Fingers crossed. Paul Hewitt 3 Posted 22/11/2022 at 19:23:36 Heard it all before. Scott Bennett 4 Posted 22/11/2022 at 19:36:05 I hope they put on a show tonight. I'm flying down from Queensland this morning to see the Blues for the first time. I'd really like to see a couple of shots on target and perhaps, maybe a goal or two. UTFT Brian Wilkinson 5 Posted 22/11/2022 at 19:38:06 Strap yourself in, Scott, could be a bumpy 90 minutes.Enjoy the game and hope they put a show on for you. Brendan McLaughlin 6 Posted 22/11/2022 at 20:18:15 Scott #4,And what do you expect from Everton?Enjoy! Jim Bennings 7 Posted 22/11/2022 at 21:18:43 Still wont bring us any goals though will it? Eddie Dunn 8 Posted 22/11/2022 at 21:24:33 Ashley Cole is now wheeled out... Hahaha. What crap, I have watched all the training videos and they are exactly the same as at Finch Farm. The club have managed to get them away from everything but it might have been better to put them in with the paras on the Brecon Beacons. Clive Rogers 9 Posted 22/11/2022 at 21:59:27 The problem is the the players are not good enough, end of story. Michael Lynch 10 Posted 22/11/2022 at 22:05:08 A short beach holiday down under won’t change anything. The players are substandard and so are the coaching staff.It’ll be down to the fans again to keep us up, but I’m not sure we’ve got the stomach for it this time around. We’ve been beaten into the ground too many times over the past few years. Rob Halligan 11 Posted 22/11/2022 at 22:17:20 Eddie, what do you propose the club put on a training video that the whole world could view, including the opposition for the next match? All the corner drills, free kick drills, any movement tactics that the team may use during a game? Granted, this may not be much at the moment, but the last thing you show on a training video is any tactics you propose to use for the next match. So yes, what we see is absolutely nothing really, but something which all clubs do. Also these training videos last how long, about 8 - 10 minutes, so hardly a training session is it. Paul Kernot 12 Posted 22/11/2022 at 22:51:36 Weather is great today and very little wind so they can't blame that tonight. As I mentioned on the thread for the Celtic game, we really do need to 'relax' and try a different formation with real attacking intent. Even if we don't have the players for it, all we can hope is that the next window will deliver those players. Tonight though is a shot to nothing opportunity. It means nothing so for God's sake let's have a go at them Jerome Shields 13 Posted 22/11/2022 at 23:24:00 They would have needed to have gelled before this . They play in a competitive league and other teams in the league have been working on gelling, since August. There training programs are developing as the season progresses, as is their match practise.Can Everton really reset and be at same level as competing teams at this stage of the season?They are out of one Cup competition and the match practise that provides.I am not convinced they can.Everton training program seems to result in a reasonable start to the season and a alarming fall off in effective in October, which last year extended into January.They they struggled to the end of the season.The whole training program needs to be totally changed, rather than reset. Chris Hockenhull 14 Posted 22/11/2022 at 23:53:15 “.. and then we were a little bit disappointed against Leicester..”. Oh were you now??? The most telling comment regards the attitude in this club. Bollocks. George Stuart 15 Posted 23/11/2022 at 00:51:26 Clive Rodgers[9] pretty much got it right.But, they' were terrible.It appeared they were clueless? Incoherent, no iota of a plan. Like a Sunday league or even a pub team but fitter.That has to be down to coaching. I'm a Lampard fan. I believe he should be given a chance? His remit at he start of the season was to be better than three other teams.Its a very long journey to that position.Terrified ! George Stuart 16 Posted 23/11/2022 at 01:02:34 Or, or, we could go to the World cup, buy the best "bubbling under" new sensation players and coaches. No one else will be thinking of that.I hear Southgate might be retiring from international coaching and Ronaldo is a free agent.Actually Renaldo's 7 goals in half a season might just keep us up. The price tag might be a bit steep and the dressing room atmosphere, phew ! David Gee 17 Posted 23/11/2022 at 06:29:00 Really excited tonight...taking my 15 year old daughter to her 1st ever Everton game...we live in Sydney, so she has never had chance to see them live. She has been to Goodison every time we go back, and she loves the pink kit. We missed the Celtic game, as she had trials for Lindfield FC U16's so super happy that we get tonight...its been warm in Sydney, so don't expect fast paced game, and Western Sydney are a decent side, with plenty of pace...hoping that we can get a goal or 3 hope to see plenty of Blues tonight...COYB! Richie Rich 18 Posted 23/11/2022 at 06:48:45 Front 3 absolutely useless, zero end product. Midfield can't create or score from distance, so we're routed. Get on bet365 and load up every penny ya got Everton under 1.5 goals. Defence is sound but fark me everything in front of Tark needs selling. Gary Johnson 19 Posted 23/11/2022 at 07:15:51 Which midfield are you referring to there Macauley, cos our normal one ain’t here and the second string injured too? Ian Jones 20 Posted 23/11/2022 at 07:19:09 Playing the team that Jack Rodwell played for. Seems he got released and is now playing for Sydney. Don't want to start the Jack Rodwell debate but what a waste of a talent Eddie Dunn 21 Posted 23/11/2022 at 07:55:09 Okay Rob, I won't watch anymore of the feckin' things!It's not good for me.On a general point, I think the emotional impact of last season has taken it's effect on the fans and I can't see Goodison conjuring up such an escape this time round. I do think Frank and his crew are not up to the job and hearing him lower expectations over his last few interviews makes me worried that he is preparing the ground for the inevitable.He has started laying blame on the players which doesn't seem to make them pull their socks up.The team need to put a few goals in against Sydney and then we might just discover some confidence. Tony Abrahams 22 Posted 23/11/2022 at 08:03:19 I rarely watch anything like this Eddie, and other than ToffeeWeb, I’m stay away from all things Everton, for a few weeks, for obvious reasons. What has Lampard been saying to criticize the players, and has he took any of the blame himself, for the way Everton are currently playing? Tony Everan 23 Posted 23/11/2022 at 08:09:57 Chris 14, I didn’t like that blasé comment either, we were comprehensively outplayed by Leicester at home, and Brendan Rodgers had all Lampard’s cards marked before the game. One explanation is that he’s trying to downplay the sharp decline in form so that they can reset and instil some confidence. Danny O’Neill 24 Posted 23/11/2022 at 09:01:05 Enjoy Scott & David.I think they're damned if they do, damned if they don't. We complain about a lack of marketing and global visibility both to existing supporters and potentially attacking new ones.But then we'd rather they were locked behind the gates of Finch Farm.Good to hear the Down Under Blues. Very vocal. Stu Darlington 25 Posted 23/11/2022 at 09:24:54 It’s not just the playing staff that need to reset their fundamentals.I mean it would be very much appreciated by fans if they came back from Australia being able to pass the ball to one another,retain possession for more than two passes,get the ball forward at pace,run into space,put in a decent cross,get back and defend,oh,and put the ball into the opponent’s net occasionally! Aren’t these the fundamentals?But it would be even more beneficial if the coaching staff came back with an idea of what their best formation is,what game plans give us the best chance of winning and playing attractive football,how to read the game and make the most effective changes,the willingness to drop under performing players and give younger players an opportunity etc,etc.Not going to happen I know,but it’s nice to dream.At least they’ll all come back with good tans,and have saved a packet on their heating bills so the trip won’t be a complete loss! Joe McMahon 26 Posted 23/11/2022 at 10:39:00 Will this hot weather jolly up, time off holiday- reset change them into goalscorers that can smash one from 25 yards into the back of the net on a cold January day back in England? Or even pass a ball forwards? John Keating 27 Posted 23/11/2022 at 10:42:01 Made up for all the supporters who went to the game, so many never seen the team in the flesh.Great support and well done to all. Mal van Schaick 28 Posted 23/11/2022 at 13:51:09 Irrespective of our current circumstances, I am absolutely made up that our fans in Australia get to see the Everton team in the flesh in a competitive game. It will spur them on as continued supporters and maybe the players will take on board the importance of performing well and getting results. Tony Abrahams 29 Posted 23/11/2022 at 16:06:50 I decided to listen to Lampard talking after today’s win, and I think he’s got the same thoughts as you Clive@9. He did say that there is only one way to improve in this game, and this is by working harder in training, and although you can only beat what is in front of you. He also said that for Gordon’s third goal, it was pleasing that he did something that they often preach, namely hitting his shot early. Tom Bowers 30 Posted 24/11/2022 at 17:10:03 I think this is the most crucial period of Frank's tenure.Apart from the Man City game, they will be expected to plck up some points; otherwise, we will be in shit street and it could be Sayonara Frank.I don't see any big-name additions in January because many quality players won't fancy joining a team in relegation trouble.That next game against Wolves is a must-win situation. Matthew Williams 31 Posted 29/11/2022 at 01:31:30 Very doubtful like!...have you seen who we've we drawn in the Cup!Our club just doesn't turn up for away days anymore...unless we play down under against a faded club on the slide and some Sheep Shearer's.Utd...3-0 easy win...ta ra Frankie! 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