Time to put Koeman out of his misery
BY THE time the final whistle arrived and the boos came thundering down, the team sheet had long since been forgotten. Never mind that the prodigal son had been dropped for the first time since his much-trumpeted return to Everton.
This wasn’t the day to be talking about the waning of Wayne Rooney; this was now all about the crisis enveloping Ronald Koeman.
Burnley, deservedly, had become the latest club to blow a hole in Everton’s ambitions. Their 1-0 victory — secured thanks to a brilliant goal by Jeff Hendrick — came via a performance that defined the meaning of the word team.
They were everything Everton were not: stubborn, organised and clinical. This success, Burnley’s first at Goodison Park since January 1976, left the home fans furious. Some have had enough of Koeman and let him know it — but he has blocked the fury out.
‘ I don’t answer this type of question,’ snapped Koeman, when asked if he was still the right man for Everton. ‘ That is not the business at this moment. I try to get the best out of the players.
‘If there is no commitment and no aggression that is maybe a reason to think about my future but I thank the players for their commitment. We will continue and I will try to do the best for my job. All the stuff and questions are not in my hands.’
The irony of the day, however, was that the biggest call he made was right. Rooney has struggled recently and playing in a team with no pace has exposed him. You could understand why Koeman left him out.
‘He is committed to the team and to every Evertonian and he showed that,’ said Koeman. ‘I explained the situation, that we changed the style of play. Like every professional player he accepted it.’
The change of personnel had an immediate impact. Everton looked more energetic with the youthful zest of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Nikola Vlasic, while Oumar Niasse provide a focus up front.
As a result, Everton had three opportunities in the first 10 minutes. Niasse’s shot stung Nick Pope’s hands, the Burnley goalkeeper had to be alert to thwart Gylfi Sigurdsson and Stephen Ward snuffed out Niasse as he threatened.
Everton, though, are stuck in a situation where patience is not limitless. A misplaced pass? A groan. A failure to mark up? A growl. Goodison was becoming home to the Angry Mob and in the 21st minute, the moment they had feared arrived.
Everything started with a sweeping 60-yard ball from Robbie Brady that stretched Everton; Stephen Ward fired in a cross, Chris Wood kept the move alive, Scott Arfield and Ward created an angle and Hendrick (right) scored.
From a team who are supposed to be one-dimensional and favour the direct route, here was a 23-pass riposte.
‘There are no Barcelona statements,’ said Sean Dyche. ‘ But it was a fantastic goal. if you’re ever going to win a game, win it with that many passes and that finish. After we scored, we did all the ugly stuff you have to do.’
Burnley are not in the habit of giving up leads cheaply and with Dyche masterminding, they threw a blanket over the game. Everton dominated but all it produced was two shots from Calvert-Lewin and one from Rooney, a 63rd-minute sub. It was one of those days. There have already been too many.