Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
EVER SO AWFUL EUROPA LEAGUE
Koeman now facing crisis point after yet another horror show from Blues
WHAT a shambles.
Everton manager Ronald Koeman asked for verve and aggression – what he got was total surrender.
He demanded a reaction to last weekend’s Goodison Park collapse against Tottenham – what he got was another horror show.
Koeman is facing his first crisis at Goodison Park, in charge of a side totally lacking in heart, belief and resilience.
Excitement among the travelling Blues fans about the start of a Europa League campaign turned by half-time to sheer bewilderment. Three goals in 17 minutes before the break saw many of them walk out of the stadium in disgust.
Next up for the Mersey men is a trip to Old Trafford on Sunday – on this evidence they may as well hand Manchester United the points now.
The stats make grim reading. Three consecutive defeats, eight goals conceded, none scored.
They’ve not won for five games – this does not look like a temporary blip.
Koeman, who lost Romelu Lukaku to United in the summer, spent around £130million on recruitment, encouraging Everton fans to dream of a place in the top four. But when the going gets tough, the Blues seem to crumble.
This match, don’t forget, was played on neutral territory – at the Stadio Mapei in Reggio Emilia, home to Serie A strugglers Sassuolu.
That’s 123 miles away from Atalanta’s home ground, the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’italia in Lombardy.
Flares were lit by the Atalanta fans, enthused by their first game in Europe for 26 years. It was way back in 1991 that they reached the quarter-finals,
Inter knocking them out, but their lack of recent European pedigree was not evident.
Instead they showed the verve that earned them an unlikely fourth spot in Serie A last season.
The Everton defence, including the recalled Phil Jagielka and rookie Mason Holgate, looked like statues. They went unprotected by a midfield that appeared to consider basic marking beneath them.
Everton had an early scare when keeper Maarten Stekelenburg had to save at the back post from Andrea Masiello.
From Alejandro Gomez’s corner, Masiello arrived unmarked at the back post once more and made no mistake from close in.
Atalanta – big, strong, powerful and committed – looked like the English team; Everton looked nonleague, that’s how bad they were. Atalanta’s star man Gomez, not content with his earlier assist, got their second goal after 40 minutes. Unmarked on the left wing, he cut inside and left rip a curling shot that nestled in the top corner.
Three minutes later, Everton were three down.
Industrious midfielder Bryan Cristante burst into the box, unmarked of course, and collected a pass by Andrea Petagna to prod home.
It was a shocking first 45 minutes from Everton and it didn’t get much better after the break.
In fact Atalanta should have increased their lead. Gomez went close and Remo Freuler hit the bar. Atalanta supporters before the game had talked of the threat of Wayne Rooney.
“Will he play? Maybe he will be drunk,” said one group of mischievous fans in the afternoon.
Rooney, finished now at international level, did play and went closest for Everton, who finished punch-drunk, with a clever chip just over the bar after 12 minutes. But there was precious little to cheer the blue half of Merseyside.
Koeman insisted he was taking this Europa League campaign seriously with a Champions League place for the winners.
Dream on, Ron.