What the HELL let ourselves in for now!
SAT high up in the directors’ box, flanked by their new executives, neither Carlo Ance lot tin or Mikel Arteta looked impressed by a grim ‘Caretaker Derby’.
Interims Duncan Ferguson and Freddie Ljungberg got plenty of effort in their final games in charge but not much quality.
‘ It was a bit of a struggle out there ,’ said Ferguson as the evidence was laid out why Everton and Arsenal have new leaders following the disastrous reigns of Marco Silva and Unai Emery.
Ancelotti, true managerial royalty with three Champions Leagues on his CV, was sandwiched in between Goodison Park powerbrokers Farhad Moshiri and Bill Kenwright, sporting a pinstripe club tie having been confirmed as Everton’s manager yesterday morning.
He popped into the dressing room after the game to introduce himself to his new players and make a speech congratulating them on their fantastic ‘fighting spirit’.
There are 10 million annual reasons Ancelotti has taken the job but even the most diehard Evertonian would acknowledge their squad is a step down from training every day with Andrea Pirlo or Cristiano Ronaldo.
Their best hope of a goal yesterday was foiled by a VAR ruling that Lucas Torreira hadn’t deliberately handled a shot by striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Along the posh seats, Arteta sat impassively next to Gunners managing director Vinai Venkatesham with Ken Friar, 85, club secretary during the glory years of George Graham and Arsene Wenger, also in the travelling party.
Arteta has learned from the very best, Pep Guardiola, at Manchester City and is a former Arsenal player but it still looks a monumental challenge to get Arsenal challenging the rest of the Big Six.
Ljungberg picked a young team featuring five starters aged 22 or under and a first clean sheet in 15 games was very welcome.
But there was little of the attacking fluency associated with the club and their only clear chance was spurned by Pierre-E me rick Aubameyang shortly before he was substituted.
The Swede is backing Arteta to keep the club’s DNA made famous by Wenger. ‘ We are Arsenal. We have to keep the ball and I know Mikel is a great coach,’ he said.
‘I felt we have taken strides in the last few games in how we want to play football.
‘We put out a very young team. Everton had beaten Chelsea so well done to the boys for a point.’
Match highlights were brief. Richarlison had a couple of shots wide and Ferguson repeated his trick of substituting the substitute, Cenk Tosun making way f or Moise Kean in the second half after he had earlier replaced Alex Iwobi, who had limped off with a hamstring problem.
Everton’s Jordan Pickford was the marginally busier keeper making two saves from Aubameyang.
The first was a brilliant reflex stop after an Arsenal corner had fallen to their top striker four yards out. Mesut Ozil wasn’t in the squad because of a foot injury though Ljungberg said he wouldn’t have been picked anyway — for throwing a hissy fit after being substituted against Manchester City.
As the final whistle blew, attention immediately threw forward. Ferguson, an Everton l egend unbeaten in his four games as manager against Chelsea, Manchester United, Leicester and Arsenal, is set to stay as part of Ancelotti’s backroom team.
‘I’ve had a word with the boss, he looks happy with me,’ Ferguson said. ‘It looks like I am still in a job and I am sure he will spell out what he wants from me on Monday.
‘There is no point in kidding ourselves. The league table doesn’t lie. We are near the bottom and have to work very hard to push up to sixth, eighth, 10th. I am sure they will get recruitment in January.
‘He came into the dressing room after the game and made a lovely speech. It was fantastic how he spoke to the players, in a broad sense it was about the fantastic fighting spirit. I have said from day one we wanted a world-class manager and we’ve got one.’
Arsenal are higher up the table than Everton but more divided, if anything. The travelling Arsenal support chanted against Arsenal Fan TV, a provocative Youtube channel which, some fans believe, ferments dissent when the club needs unity.
Ljungberg, who worked alongside Emery before taking temporary charge, confirmed the club would like him to stay and help Arteta. They will chat today and the Swede
i s also being courted by hometown club Malmo.
If he does leave, his last line-up featuring 18-year-olds Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli will be a decent legacy. ‘I’ve tried to fill the gaps and get us organised,’ said Ljungberg. ‘We are a big club that’s been a bit low on confidence.’
Arteta gave a brief rallying call to the team before kick-off, asking them to be brave and take responsibility, and returned to see the players afterwards. The real work begins on Monday. As for Ancelotti, his last visit to Goodison in 2011 saw him sacked by Chelsea after a 1-0 defeat.
This was clearly a more pleasurable return but he will be under no illusions of the challenge that lies ahead.