Abdoulaye Doucoure hits out at Frank Lampard’s coaching at Everton: ‘We had a big argument’ | OneFootball

Abdoulaye Doucoure has criticised Frank Lampard’s management during their time together at Everton, saying the coach banished him to the Under-21s after a “big argument”.

Lampard was appointed Everton manager in January 2022 and steered them to safety in the penultimate game the season, a dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over Crystal Palace in which Doucoure started.

But their “really good” relationship deteriorated the following season and the Mali midfielder soon found himself marginalised.

“He didn’t talk, there was no communication between me and him,” Doucoure told The Overlap Breakdown. “I was training with the Under-21 because I was excluded from the team, he pushed me away.”

He explained: “After a home game, we had a big argument between me and him. I was not happy and I told him the truth because I am honest, and he didn’t like it. The day after they said you cannot stay with the team, he felt disrespected by me in front of the other players, and they said you need to train with the Under-21s or train alone.

“I said, ‘I’m going to train alone’ because I know how to look after myself. Luckily it was not long, two or three days, because I think he was sacked a week after.”

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Frank Lampard was in charge of Everton for 44 games (Getty Images)

Doucoure became a key attacking player under Lampard’s successor, Sean Dyche, as he had under Carlo Ancelotti previously, and has been used consistently by new manager David Moyes. But he only started 18 times in Lampard’s 44 matches in charge of Everton.

“Frank Lampard is the only manager who didn’t trust me a lot. I think he made a mistake with me to be honest. I am a hard-working guy and a humble person, I work hard in training. Obviously he can make a choice, I never contest the choice a manager makes.

“Sometimes you have to be fair and I don’t think he was fair with me, leaving me on the bench for so many games and not giving me my chance, it just upset me with him. I was just waiting for my chance and he didn’t trust me, and I think he made a mistake because I just proved him wrong after that. Because after the new manager came, Sean Dyche, I was a difference-maker in the team.”

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Abdoulaye Doucoure is a regular starter this season (Peter Byrne/PA)

The 32-year-old described it as the toughest period of his career.

“It was very hard because I love Everton, and because of my relationship with him I was pushing away, I was nearly out of the club. So it was very sad for me, because when you start exploring your options, going to another club – I never wanted that. My faith is very strong, I always believe in hard work, hard work pays off. I was very happy to stay, and I signed a new contract after that.”

Lampard is now manager of Coventry City, where he has overseen an upturn in results since being appointed in November, and Doucoure believes he learned “a big lesson” at Goodison Park.

“He was a great player, he was a fantastic player, everyone knows that. But as a manager, at Everton it was a big lesson for him, and I think he learned from that.”