Frank Lampard has admitted that the stakes of Everton's survival in the Premier League feel greater to him than when he was challenging for titles at the other end of the table during his playing days at Chelsea.
The Toffees boss has shrugged off a rapid descent towards the foot of the table with a superb five-game streak to lift the club out of the relegation zone, amassing 10 points from a possible 15 to leave them just above the bottom three.
With a game in hand to boot, Everton's destiny now remains firmly in their own hands at Goodison Park - but amid the jeopardy, Lampard has acknowledged that the battle feels bigger than when he was fighting for the Premier League trophy during his younger years at Stamford Bridge.
What has Lampard said about Everton's relegation fight?
"When you live this experience of a relegation battle it so consumes you and you so want the right thing because you understand what the stakes are," Lampard said.
"The stakes for this are bigger for me now than when I won the Premier League as a player because of what it means to the club. You know the economics of it are greater as well, to a different degree, and you know what it means to the fans and the people who work here.
"There shouldn’t be any way, with four games to go and one point out of the relegation zone, that you think you are fine. We’ve got a big job to do still."
What has Lampard said about the challenges presented by Everton?
Out of a job since he was dismissed by Chelsea - arguably with his reputation as a club legend during his playing days still intact - Lampard's appointment felt like something of a gamble at Goodison Park following a rocky start.
But that sterling run has turned the tables on Merseyside, leaving him delighted that he has proven up to the task, adding: “There are a lot of questions of everybody when you are in this position, and I came into it.
"The players are questioned, the club is questioned, I’m questioned. It’s the cutting-edge part of the job in that position. I’m having an incredible experience – again, I am not talking like it is done, we are in it still – but I came here and people wanted to challenge me. That’s been an incredible challenge in a good way."