When Ronald Koeman was fired by Everton on Oct. 23, months after spending $177 million on new players, it didn’t look like things could get much worse for the club. Barely a month later they have.
After Sunday’s pitiful 4-1 loss to Southampton, the Toffees find themselves languishing in 16th place, just two points from the relegation zone, and in dire need of a change to rescue a season that began with such promise
The loss to Southampton was the perfect microcosm of the team’s season. From the get-go, they struggled to string together more than a couple passes and quickly fell behind after a Dušan Tadić strike. A lovely Gylfi Sigurðsson equalizer sent the two teams into the half level, but just seven minutes after play resumed Charlie Austin scored the first of three unanswered goals by Southampton to hand Everton a crushing defeat they desperately needed a result from.
It was just another in a string of distressing performances under caretaker manager David Unsworth. Since the Englishman took over for Koeman, his side have won one, drawn another, and lost five in increasingly hapless fashion. Sunday’s loss came on the heels of a somehow even worse thrashing at the hands of Atalanta, a midtable Italian side, in the Europa League midweek. But even that embarrassment couldn’t shake the team out of its stupor.
The result was further proof that Unsworth, who’s made no secret about how much he’d like the job on a permanent basis, just isn’t up for it. He cannot seem to motivate the team and has yet to come up with a tactical solution for the club’s shambolic performance. If anything, Everton looks even worse in defense, midfield and attack than they did under his predecessor. The one good result the club’s gotten while he’s been in charge, a 3-2 comeback victory over Watford, looks like an aberration.
But who do the Toffees turn to now? They clearly would like to hire Watford’s Marco Silva, but his club have shown no interest in letting him go. Sam Allardyce has also been linked to the job, but seems put off by the club’s insistence that his backroom staff include at least a few Everton men. The best option might be ex-Borussia Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel. He’d cost a lot and almost certainly only be a rental, as he has his eyes on a higher profile gig, but it’s easy to see how a deal could work out for both parties. Tuchel would give Everton more time to find the right replacement and they’d give him a chance to prove himself in the Premier League.
Whatever they do, Everton need to act quickly and decisively, two things they’ve failed to do since the end of last season. Sure, Everton spent a lot on new players this summer, but they didn’t use it on a striker, a position they needed to fill after selling Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United. And they were right to fire Koeman, but not without a replacement lined up. It’s because of this that the club’s preseason goal of breaking into the top six seems laughable at this point. With how things are going, the Toffees might just be lucky to survive being relegated.
Effort of the Week
Huddersfield Town 1-2 Manchester City
It wasn’t quite enough, but David Wagner’s men put in one of the performances of the season on Sunday, almost ending a 10-game City win streak in the process. Even then, Pep Guardiola’s team needed a penalty and a fortuitous rebound to seize victory from the tenacious Terriers.
Save(s) of the Week
Mathew Ryan, Brighton 0-1 Manchester United
One point blank save is hard enough; two is nearly impossible. But that’s just what Ryan did (1:08 mark) at the end of the first half against United’s Romelu Lukaku and Paul Pogba. In fact, the only way United could beat the Brighton keeper on Saturday was through a cruel deflection.