KOEMAN PUTS ON BRAVE FACE
But even a shave can’t hide the strain
THE morning after the grim night before, but Ronald Koeman was determined not to show signs of feeling the strain.
Over the past week, Everton’s embattled manager has looked increasingly stressed, sporting a heavy stubble that is not in keeping with his usual appearance. At Finch Farm yesterday, though, he was clean shaven and ready to lift the mood of his floundering team.
‘I’m 10 years younger this morning after a shave!’ said Koeman, doing his best to deflect the questions when asked if the unrelenting pressure and growing weight of public dissatisfaction was taking a personal toll.
As much as he wanted to engage gallows humour, however, there was realism. The actions of one moron at Goodison Park, who faces a life ban for his inexplicable actions against Lyon, took Koeman out of the spotlight momentarily but the situation that has engulfed him has not changed.
No manager in the Premier League is under as much pressure as Koeman and it will take a remarkable change to save his job, not least as he revealed majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri and chairman Bill Kenwright are ‘a little worried’ by results.
There was no desire to hide away, though. He might be stressed and aware his 14-month reign could end at any moment but he was back in work, as normal, at 9am yesterday and the predicament did not prompt him to pull up the shutters ahead of Arsenal’s visit tomorrow.
‘It is normal it has an impact if the team is not doing well and not getting wins,’ said Koeman. ‘Pressure always comes in the direction of the manager. But if you don’t like it? Then take another job.
‘I can’t complain about the attitude or work-rate of the players. I can complain about cleverness, about quality and about decisionmaking. But not about how they fight, how they try and what they give on the pitch. Frustration is
part of life and football if you don’t win. I hate to lose. But I’m still the man. We fight for everything to turn it around. Of course the pressure is on the manager. I watch TV, I am on social media, I know what’s going around. Let’s hope for three points and after Sunday everybody will be happier than they are now.’
For that to happen, however, the solution has to come immediately. The confidence that has drained from the players needs to be restored and the basic errors that have left Koeman tearing his hair out need to be eradicated.
If that doesn’t happen, Goodison will unleash its fury. The atmosphere for Lyon’s visit was sour and, once again, boos rang out at the final whistle. Many feel Koeman has never made a connection with the club and want him gone.
The Gwladys Street End, significantly, have never sung his name and another defeat will tip them over the edge.
Could there be an omen, however, in the visit of Arsenal? Ahead of the corresponding fixture on Merseyside last season,