Koeman jokes he’s in a ‘crisis’ amid Everton’s poor form
Everton manager Ronald Koeman joked that he is in the midst of a crisis after the team's disappointing start to the season following an outlay of nearly $200 million on players this summer.
Everton is in 16th place in the 20-team English Premier League after eight games and is without a win in two Europa League group matches this season.
Everton faces Lyon in the Europa League on Thursday, before league games against Arsenal and Leicester sandwich a League Cup match against Chelsea. Asked if he was four results from a crisis, Koeman said: "Maybe I'm in the crisis?"
"But everybody knows in football the manager's job is a really difficult job because things change really fast," Koeman said Wednesday. "Most of the time, the manager doesn't get time to improve the team."
Everton's majority shareholder, Farhad Moshiri, met with Koeman on Friday during a visit by the club's hierarchy to the training ground. Moshiri has said this month that Koeman has his total support.
"We spoke about football," Koeman said. "There was not really a message but the feeling is that they (the board) are behind the team, they are behind the manager.
"Everybody knows in football that's a nice thing but in football always, finally, it's all about results. Until now it's full, total support from the board, yes."
Everton has won two of its eight league games. In the Europa League, it has lost 3-0 at Atalanta and drawn at home to Apollon Limassol.
Despite spending 140 million pounds ($185 million) over the summer, Everton didn't adequately replace top scorer Romelu Lukaku, who left to join Manchester United, and has struggled for goals this season.
Meanwhile, Arsenal will look to consolidate their position at the top of Group H in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday when they take on Red Star Belgrade.
The Gunners have seen off both Cologne and BATE Borisov to hold a two-point lead over Belgrade, and a win at the Rajko Mitic Stadium would allow them to expand that gap to five points.
Arsenal's frailty reared its ugly head last Saturday as the Gunners sank to their third Premier League defeat of the season, but Thursday should offer a brief respite from their frustrations.
In their last outing, they beat BATE 4-2 in Belarus. Despite letting slip some of their early control in the match, Bleacher Report's James McNicholas was delighted overall.
Indeed, given the youth on display for the Gunners, it is perhaps unsurprising they lacked the maturity to manage the game better.
They were nevertheless impressive, though, and will have another opportunity to showcase their abilities on Thursday, likely alongside some more experienced players again such as Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere and Olivier Giroud.
The midfielder seems likely to be handed another run-out on Thursday to continue his development, so it will be worth keeping an eye on him during the clash.