Koeman’s pride is misplaced after his side’s shoddy display
IN the bumpy weeks before Christmas, as Everton’s results dipped and performances spluttered, Ronald Koeman made a frank admission.
Merseyside’s intensity, he explained, had caught him by surprise. He didn’t expect every result to be scrutinised or each word he uttered to be dissected. Koeman realised he had arrived in a city where the locals know football inside out.
In the main, his straight talking has gone down well with Evertonians.
But after his side lost yesterday’s derby, Koeman has talked himself into trouble and he could not have chosen a worse place or time to do so. He insisted he was ‘proud’ of Everton’s performance.
He said it to TV cameras, repeated it in Anfield’s new media room and used the same word on Twitter.
Proud? Really? It is understandable to want to put on a brave face when you have lost behind enemy lines but Koeman’s view of the way his side played didn’t tally with reality.
Despite being short of their best, Liverpool had far too much for their neighbours.
Everton’s players ran as if they had lead in their legs and their passing was shocking.
The 3-4-1-2 system Koeman devised was easily bypassed and they were second best throughout. Take Ross Barkley. Here was an opportunity to make himself a local hero but he faltered.
He completed only 30 of his 46 passes and can consider himself fortunate not to have been sent off after clattering into James Milner, Emre Can and Dejan Lovren.
Similarly, Romelu Lukaku had a chance to stamp his presence in a big game but he
couldn’t even muster a shot. It was the same when he played against Manchester United and Chelsea earlier this season.
Yet Koeman wouldn’t have it. Having demanded Everton cross Stanley Park and play without fear, he wanted to finish the weekend with a similarly positive message. Deep down, though, he will know his views are not shared.
At the final whistle, the away section was almost deserted. Had Everton fans been proud of their team’s efforts, they would have stayed to acknowledge them.
The swathes of empty seats should have made Koeman realise that ‘proud’ was not the word of the day.