Frank Lampard is finding it tough going but should be able to keep Everton in the Premier League, according to former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson.
Since his appointment at the end of January, Lampard has lost seven of nine league games with the Toffees, a sticky start to his assignment at Goodison Park.
The poor run has continued a trend that began under predecessor Rafael Benitez, who got a tune out of the squad in the early weeks of the season before Everton hit bum note after bum note.
It means that Everton could be relegated for the first time in the Premier League era, given they sit just one point above third-bottom Burnley going into their final nine games of the season.
They have Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea coming up in the next five games, along with two matches against Leicester City, and Everton appear to have only downwards momentum for now.
Eriksson had Lampard as a key figure in his England teams for Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup, and got to know the man as well as the player.
And while the veteran Swede has not been convinced by every step Lampard has taken so far in his coaching career, notably during his time at Chelsea, he can see the 43-year-old guiding Everton to safety.
"Lampard got tough and strange when he had Chelsea. And I think maybe too early he took one of the biggest teams in Premier League and in Europe," Eriksson said. "Because it's not easy to come straight from a player to make a coach. Especially in the club you've been playing in, so I felt sorry for him.
"And now Everton, they're fighting, but Everton will stay, they will not go down."
Eriksson was speaking to Stats Perform ahead of Everton's defeat at Burnley on Wednesday evening, when a 3-2 loss compounded the team's recent poor form.
Lampard has lost all five of his top-flight away games in charge of Everton, making him the first manager to lose his first five away matches at a Premier League club since Jan Siewert at Huddersfield Town in 2019, who lost his first seven.
Now 74, Eriksson in his England days strove to find a system in which Lampard and Steven Gerrard could thrive. It would be a struggle for subsequent England bosses too, with both players having such attacking instincts from central midfield that it led to many a selection conundrum. Eriksson would instruct one to sit back when the other went forward, in an effort to ensure gaps were not left for the opposition to exploit.
Few doubted the qualities of either man on the pitch, but they are having to prove themselves in a management capacity now, and many playing greats have failed to establish such careers.
With Gerrard at mid-table Aston Villa, after a successful spell in Rangers, it remains to be seen whether there is room in the Premier League for both men next season.
Eriksson said: "I'm very happy to see them both. And I could imagine that both of them would be coaches in the future when I had them as players because they are both extremely, extremely intelligent as football players and as human beings, but they know football.
"They were not one of those players just going out playing and saying, ‘Give me the ball’, or whatever it is. No, tactically, they were very, very strong.
"For me, they played together in the midfield. They could attack, both of them. They could defend, both of them. So, if one went the other one stayed, and it's a pleasure.
"I'm sure both of them will have good career. And you can almost take a bet that when [Jurgen] Klopp is finished at Liverpool who's going to have that job. I'm quite sure that Steven Gerrard will be a strong contender for that."
Postecoglou confident Tottenham players will enjoy controversial Australia trip
Ange Postecoglou believes his Tottenham players will enjoy the experience of facing Newcastle United in Melbourne, despite the post-season trip attracting fierce criticism from some quarters.
Spurs face Newcastle at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday, just three days after they rounded off their Premier League season with a 3-0 win at Sheffield United.
The trip has been strongly criticised on player welfare grounds, with former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer describing it as "madness".
Last year, a report from global players' union Fifpro warned fixture congestion was at "dangerous" levels and said more must be done to protect players.
Despite the negativity surrounding the fixture, Postecoglou believes his players will relish walking out at Australia's most iconic sporting venue.
"I said to the lads, 'I know it's a long way but I think you'll enjoy playing at the G'," Postecoglou said at a press conference on Tuesday.
"It's not easy because we played Sheffield on Sunday afternoon and we basically got straight on the plane to come out here.
"So we all lost Monday from our lives, but we're here now and hopefully when the boys walk out tomorrow night and there's 80,000 people at the 'G', the rest of it is irrelevant, and I'm sure they are looking forward to it."
Sunday's win at Bramall Lane ensured Tottenham finished fifth in the Premier League table, securing Europa League qualification for next season.
Postecoglou does not think fixture congestion will hamper them in 2024-25, saying the absence of European football set Spurs back in their first campaign under him.
"That's the reward for finishing strong this year so I think we're looking forward to that," he said.
"It's another challenge for us and we'll be ready for it. I think not having European football this year cost us a bit in terms of our development.
"This club deserves to be in Europe and hopefully we can make an impact next year."
Salah hints at Liverpool stay, pays tribute to Klopp
Mohamed Salah has hinted he will still be a Liverpool player next season while paying tribute to departed manager Jurgen Klopp.
Klopp's nine-year reign on Merseyside came to an end with Sunday's 2-0 win over Wolves, with Liverpool ending his final campaign at the helm third in the Premier League.
Arne Slot was subsequently confirmed as his successor on Monday, but doubts have been raised as to whether Salah would play under the Dutchman.
Salah's form dropped off alarmingly in the second half of the campaign and he became involved in a public bust-up with Klopp last month, heightening speculation that he could depart as he enters the final 12 months of his contract.
However, Salah seemed to rule out that prospect as he vowed to lead Liverpool to more silverware next term, after their efforts in 2023-24 only amounted to February's EFL Cup win.
"We know that trophies are what count and we will do everything possible to make that happen next season." Salah wrote in a post on X.
"Our fans deserve it and we will fight like hell."
Alongside an image of himself with Klopp, he wrote in a separate post: "It was great sharing all those trophies and experiences with you over the past seven years.
"I wish you the best of luck for the future and hope we meet again."
Salah scored 18 Premier League goals in 2023-24, making it the least prolific campaign of his seven-year stint at Anfield.
Fourteen of those goals came before he went to the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt in January, where he sustained a hamstring injury that troubled him throughout the second half of the campaign.
Sunday's victory over Wolves represented Salah's 250th Premier League appearance for Liverpool.
His overall tally of 223 Premier League goal involvements for the Reds (155 goals, 68 assists) are the second-most by any player in their first 250 appearances for a club in the competition, with Thierry Henry managing 243 for Arsenal (171 goals, 72 assists).
Montero hails Juventus fight as stunning comeback denies Bologna
Interim Juventus boss Paolo Montero praised his players' fight after they recovered from 3-0 down in the final 14 minutes to claim a 3-3 draw against Bologna in Serie A on Monday.
Juventus sacked Massimiliano Allegri last week in the aftermath of their Coppa Italia final victory over Atalanta, citing his fiery behaviour as a major factor in their decision.
On Monday, they came up against the man tipped to replace him in Bologna coach Thiago Motta, who saw his team race into a 3-0 lead within 53 minutes.
However, Federico Chiesa's 76th-minute effort kickstarted a stunning turnaround, with Arkadiusz Milik's free-kick soon after teeing up a grandstand finale.
Kenan Yildiz then scored an 84th-minute equaliser as the Bianconeri avoided defeat after trailing by three goals for the first time in their Serie A history.
While they have drawn each of their last six league games and could slip outside the top four on the final matchday, Montero believes they deserve credit for their efforts.
"In my view, the draw was the fair result," Montero told DAZN.
"The victory on Wednesday was important, mentally it drained them and to come here against one of the best teams at the moment like Bologna, you are going to struggle.
"After that dip in mentality, they fought back with pride and showed how much they care about the shirt."
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