KOEMAN’S LAST-GASP DISASTER RESULTS
Sloppy Everton held by minnows
THERE was a moment, midway through the first half, when Wayne Rooney was hastily handed some painkillers in order to get through the night.
Rooney had suffered a wrist injury but he was not the only one with a dull ache. Everton’s supporters left Goodison Park with throbbing heads after their side threw two points away with the latest spluttering performance of the season.
Everton should have dispatched Apollon Limassol after Rooney and substitute Nikola Vlasic gave them a 2-1 advantage, but in the 87th minute their defence became muddled and Hector Yuste inflicted maximum punishment.
Here was the latest dark moment of a season that began with such high hopes and the terms Ronald Koeman used to describe the situation — ‘scared’, ‘afraid’ and ‘struggling’ were the buzzwords — will have alarms ringing.
It has been a source of intense frustration for Koeman that Everton’s defence has been so porous and the one thing he wanted here was to see some steel and resolution to stop making life difficult for themselves. But for the seventh time in eight games, Everton conceded the first goal. It was wholly avoidable, with Ashley Williams’ stray pass going straight to Anton Maglica; he wasted no time crossing, and at the second attempt, Adrian Sardinero bundled in.
Koeman flung his arms up in despair and his reaction was emblematic of the mood around Goodison Park. The home fans were mute about the slovenly pace of Everton’s team and this selfinflicted setback merely increased their irritability.
‘ Shocking,’ was Koeman’ s scathing verdict.
Everton are not playing with a style that will quicken the pulse — TV pundit and Sportsmail columnist Martin Keown even likened them to Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United. Had the visitors been able to hang on to their advantage for 15 minutes, the chances of them causing an upset would have significantly increased.
As it was, they mimicked Everton by surrendering the cheapest equaliser. There was minimal pressure on Yuste in the 21st minute, but, calamitously, his back pass to Bruno Vale was too heavy and Rooney capitalised.
Rooney’s celebration was almost apologetic but, in such circumstances, it was not an opening that he or his team could afford to ignore. This is a hard period, one which they need to battle through. Trouble is they are so predictable. Koeman acknowledged in the build-up that he needed to adjust his attack but the constant chopping and changing of personnel is hardly helping the team settle.
You had a situation where Koeman had started with a 4-4-2 formation but, within 20 minutes, he had altered it twice and shifted players from one side of the field to the other. It was little wonder, then, why they barely created anything before the interval.
Everton were tame and passive with too many refusing g to take risks with their passing.
The introduction of Vlasic, however, changed things. He impressed when starting for the first time against Sunderland in the Carabao Cup and he did so again, making something happen in the 66th minute with a smart finish.
‘He is 19 and it is difficult understand,’ said Koeman, when asked why the Croatian was so carefree. ‘ He brought energy, he brought football. It is so difficult to do that when you have so many players struggling.’
A lead should have enabled Everton to relax and when Limassol were reduced to 10 men, when Valentin Roberge was sent-off for a stamp, that should have been enough. Instead, they were punished when Yustet stolet i in betweent Mason Holgate and Gylfi Sigurdsson.
The boos would follow. The pain continues. EVERTON (4-4-2): Pickford 7; Kenny 6, Holgate 7, Williams 5, Baines 6; Davies 7.5 (Klaassen 67min, 6), Schneiderlin 5.5, Gueye 5 (VLASIC 46, 8), Sigurdsson 5; Rooney 6.5, Ramirez 6 (Calvert-Lewin 67, 7). Subs not used: Stekelenburg, Mirallas, Martina, Lookman. Scorers: Rooney 21, Vlasic 66. Booked: None. Manager: Ronald Koeman 6.5. LIMASSOL (4-3-3): Vale 5; Pedro 6, Yuste 5, Roberge 6, Vasiliou 6 (Zelaya 83); Allan 6, Sachetti 7 (Jander 77), Alef 7; Jakolis 6 (Schembri 61, 6), Maglica 6, Sardinero 7. Subs not used: Kissas, Martinez, Alex, Stylianou. Scorers: Sardinero 12, Yuste 87. Booked: Yuste. Sent off: Roberge. Manager: Sofronis Avgousti 6. Referee: Tamas Bognar 7. Attendance: 27,034.