Koeman taught
RONALD KOEMAN last night blamed himself for Everton’s botched Italian job.
His expensively assembled team were swept away by an Atalanta side who were three up at half-time and could have won by a cricket score.
Afterwards, a stunned Koeman accused his players of lacking passion but insisted the buck stops with him.
And alarmingly, after three defeats in a row, the Dutchman does not have any answers to explain Everton’s early-season form, having also seen them lose 3-0 at home to Tottenham on Saturday.
“This was a big lesson and I need to ask myself questions about what I did wrong,” said Koeman, who apologised to the 2,200 travelling fans who vented their anger at the end.
“It has been a tough start but this was different. What I saw on the pitch was very different from what I want from Everton.
“In the first half we made many mistakes and Atalanta showed the passion and aggression you need to play football. It is easy to criticise individuals but the team were not prepared for this.
“You can make excuses but I think most of the players are not at the level we expect.
“It is a difficult moment and a wake-up call. If it isn’t, then the problems are even bigger.”
You certainly do not get a lot for £130million on this evidence.
This was meant to be Everton’s big season but, right now, they look an ill-balanced, hotchpotch of a team with the whole a pathetic fraction of the sum of its parts.
They were a shambles as Atalanta celebrated their return