KOEMAN IN CRISIS
Everton boss gets visit from club’s top brass
RONALD KOEMAN claims he has the full backing of the Everton board – despite admitting he could be in a “crisis”.
The Toffees boss knows the support from the top will not last forever as the pressure builds on him ahead of tonight’s Europa League clash with Lyon.
Koeman met with club chairman Bill Kenwright and major shareholder Farhad Moshiri last Friday, when the pair made a rare visit to the club’s Finch Farm training base together.
Support
The Dutchman says he has their full support, despite a disappointing start to the season that has left Everton with four defeats from eight in the Premier League.
They need a win tonight against the French side to stand any real chance of making the Europa League last 32.
They have just one point from their opening two Group E games, against Atalanta and Apollon Limassol.
Koeman said: “Yes, he (Moshiri) was here. It was not only him, but also the chairman, Bill Kenwright, and more people from the board.
“And of course they had a good lunch and, yes, they spoke about football.
“There was not really a message but the feeling is that they are behind the team and they are behind the manager.
“Everybody knows in football that is a nice thing, but in football always finally it is all about results. If you are a long time in football, then maybe you know better than anybody this situation, but until now it is full, total support from the board.”
Leicester’s sacking of Craig Shakespeare on Tuesday, four months after he was given the job permanently, was a reminder to Koeman about how quickly the chop can come for managers.
“Maybe I am in the crisis,” he said. “We know that most of the time the manager doesn’t get time to improve the team.
“The game is really important. The situation in the group is that we need a win.”
Flop
There will be a familiar visiting player at Goodison Park tonight as former Manchester United winger Memphis Depay returns to these shores for the first time since joining Lyon in January.
The Dutchman was a £25m flop at Old Trafford after arriving from PSV in the summer of 2015, although Koeman tried to bring him to Everton before he went to France at the start of this year.
“He didn’t play a lot for United and I like the player,” said Koeman.
“I still believe there is a lot to do for this player. We tried it, but once again, we didn’t reach agreement for him.”