Ronald Koeman might have worked miracles in Southampton after guiding them to a 7th place finish in the league last season with a limited budget which made Everton tempt him to Goodison Park to replace the inconsistent Roberto Martinez in the summer, yet considering the form of the Toffees in the last 10 league games there is a sign that the Toffees have lost it and are on the verge of collapse if nothing urgent is done.
Having spent an excess of £50 million on the likes of Yannick Bolasie- Crystal Palace, Ashley Williams – Swansea, and Idrisse Gueye- Aston Villa although a bulk of the funds came from the sale of John Stones To Manchester City, a lot was expected from the Merseyside club who boast a certain Romelu Lukaku who is the second highest Premier League scorer since the 2012/2013 season with 69 goals , 20 behind Manchester City’s goal king Sergio Aguero who is on 89. Add that to the likes of Ross Barkeley , Aaron Lennon and Kelvin Mirallas, although both Mirallas and Barkeley are still too inconsistent to be called World beaters. In defence, Everton boast the best fullbacks in the league when one tries to balance a full backs attacking and defensive roles with Seamus Coleman and Leighton Baines ahead of many of their peers.
Though the Dutchman is not on the verge of sack, he has to halt the Toffee’s gradual slide judging from their present points total of 20 which is two less than that of Martinez last season (22) after 15 games.
“They team is so passive. It’s reactive rather than proactive. Maybe it’s fear, but we need to play with confidence at 1-0”, Koeman said after the game with Watford on Saturday.
With a defence that has Argentine Flori Mori and Ashley Williams as central pairings, Koeman’s side are guilty of giving away free kicks and caught offside often. Though Williams isn’t one blessed with pace as he is over 30 years, the Welshman has the experience and composure needed for a centre back. Mori on his part is mobile and quick although the Argentine is yet to shake off his rash decision making and loss of concentration which characterised his first season under Martinez.
With Gareth Barry and Gueye in the middle of the park, Everton are well equipped in that department although Barry’s heir must be quickly sought as the Englishman is no longer in his prime. Koeman’s attack on the other-hand is young and one of the best in the top flight making it imperative that the defence be sorted out as quickly as possible if they harbour any hopes of returning to the top which they belong .
It is not as if Everton were totally outplayed against Watford as both teams shared identical stats at the end of the 90 minutes with both teams having equal 11 shots, equal 73% pass accuracy and another equal 10 chances created, although Everton bossed possession from their 51% possession compared to Watford’s 49%. This still did not prevent the Toffees from going down 3-2 at the end of the game having conceded from two set-pieces .
With a lot of games still to come , Koeman doesn’t need to press the panic button as every team goes through a bad patch in every season. For now, Koeman must address his defence as this is his team’s Achilles hills .
Finally it is imperative for Koeman to heed the advise of former Three Lions and Everton centre back, who had this to say “They should be concerned, not worried , but if there’s any game to make things right it’s the Merseyside Derby,”- Joleon Lescott said after the game with Watford.
Stats from Opta.
Comments
Post a Comment