Abdoulaye Doucouré and Frank Lampard will probably never go on vacation together.The Malian midfielder did not appreciate working under the Englishman, who had sidelined him.
Abdoulaye Doucouré finished the 2022-2023 season on a high, helping to keep the Toffees in the Premier League.But the season was not all plain sailing.In the first half of the season, the former Rennes man was relegated to the bench by Frank Lampard.The Malian made it clear that he would not have put up with another minute of playing under the Chelsea legend.“If the previous coach had stayed a few weeks longer, I would have left. It was impossible not to play for a year, but I think with him, that was the plan,” the 30-year-old first admitted to The Athletic.
Abdoulaye Doucouré continued. “Even if I trained well and fresh, I don’t think he’d put me in the team. It was as if he had something personal against me. I knew that if the club changed coaches, I’d have a chance again. So I had to keep my head down and wait for my chance, and it worked out well.
With Lampard gone, Doucouré lives again
Abdoulaye Doucouré makes no secret of the fact that the trying season taught him a few things. “It was a long season with highs and lows. For me personally, it was a challenge, but it helped me grow and achieve more success. Since the new manager arrived, there’s been a lot of hard work from everyone and we deserved to stay up. I was very close (to leaving) but I was happy to stay and help Everton”. Under Lampard, Doucouré started just 2 games between August and January.
When Franck Lampard was sacked in January 2023, Abdoulaye Doucouré regained his starting place. Sean Dyche started him 13 times in 15 Premier League games. And the results speak for themselves. The Mali international scored 5 goals and provided 2 assists. He even scored the winner on the 38th and final day of the season.
