Frank Lampard has set his Everton players a challenge in their fight to avoid relegation from the Premier League, asking them if they have got the "b*llocks to play".
Lampard suffered his sixth defeat in all competitions since replacing Rafa Benitez in the Goodison Park hot seat as Everton were beaten 4-0 by Crystal Palace on Sunday in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
The result brought the Toffees crashing back down to earth after their 1-0 win against Newcastle last week, which saw them pull three points clear of the Premier League drop zone, with Lampard left lamenting his side's failure to execute "the basics".
What's been said?
The 43-year-old couldn't hide his disappointment after seeing Everton miss the chance to book a date a Wembley as he told reporters: "There’s only so much you can keep trying to butter someone up to give them confidence. There’s a balance of confidence and playing at the cut-throat end of football here.
"This was a quarter-final to get to Wembley and you need the confidence to play. Have you got the b*llocks to play?
"Because we didn’t play that badly and Palace didn’t play that well and we lost 4-0 because of a lack of confidence.
"It wasn’t tactics — the tactics showed in the first 20 minutes because Palace couldn’t get out of their half. When you do things right within that structure then you will be all right, but if you can’t be clinical in front of goal then you won’t score goals or feel like you can score goals.
"If you allow people to stroll into your box and finish with ease, they will finish with ease. So it’s basics."
Lampard added on the size of the task he is facing at Goodison Park: "There’s clarity now. The job is to stay up, that’s the reality of it."
What's next for Everton?
The Everton squad will now benefit from a two-week rest as the international break comes into effect.
Lampard's men are currently sitting down in 17th in the Premier League standings with 11 games remaining, starting with a tough trip to West Ham on April 3.
The Toffees have a relegation six-pointer away at Burnley to look forward to three days later before Manchester United are due to arrive at Goodison Park as the fixture list begins to pile up.
Further reading
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