Everton need time to learn Koeman’s tactics
Everton will need time to familiarise themselves with new manager Ronald Koeman’s style of play after the Dutchman replaced Roberto Martinez in the close season, right back Seamus Coleman has said.
Martinez’s three-year tenure at the Merseyside club was brought to an end in May after the Spaniard oversaw a disastrous campaign at Goodison Park, leading Everton to 11th in the Premier League, their lowest finish in the last nine seasons. “Every manager is different and I wouldn’t say there’s any right or wrong but when you play in a regime for a certain amount of time you will pick up habits that stick for a little while,” Coleman told British media. “I’m sure this manager now will be wanting to get his good habits into us and we’ll have to forget some of the others that we had. That’s part and parcel of changing managers. “I’ve only been back a week and I’m still coming to terms with what he (Koeman) wants and what he doesn’t want but you can definitely see that... he’s not afraid to mix it up.”
Meanwhile, Koeman admits he is flirting with the idea of deploying Gerard Deulofeu as a striker following the winger’s impressive display in a pre-season win over Barnsley on Saturday.
“We had a lot of pace up front with Gerard. Maybe this is a new position for him but I know he played there for Barcelona ‘B’,” the former Southampton boss said. “Because he is very fast, we created a lot of danger from that. A fullback has two options-play the ball back to the goalkeeper or play it down the channels (to the forwards). I don’t like the first option. “When you have Gerard with that speed up front, and good passes to pick him out, that makes it difficult for the opponent.” — Reuters