What has Carlo Ancelotti let himself in for by beming the Everton manager?

Andy Clark
Everton hiring managerial legend Carlo Ancelotti seems a huge coup from the club. He’s had a mixed start to his career on Merseyside. He won his first two games, then lost his second two, including a humiliating defeat when putting out his strongest side against Liverpool’s kids in the FA Cup. We’ve had a look at the challenges Ancelotti faces, and why Everton are, really, so bad.  

Is the money Everton have hindering them rather than helping?

Everton used to be a poorer club struck for money, but, recently, they’ve started to splash the cash. They haven’t, however, spent it well. They spent over £100m in the summer on the likes of Alex Iwobi, Moise Kean and Jean-Philippe Gbamin. How many of those have been successful? Arguably, zero (although Gbamin has hardly played a minute in the Premier League due to a long term injury). They’ve had a little bit of success with money – for example, Lucas Diane was picked up for just under £19m in 2018 – but there hasn’t been enough success for the amount they’ve spent. It’s almost reminiscent of Tottenham’s spending when they sold Gareth Bale. Investment in the Premier League has to be smart, not silly.  

The squad is still not good enough to challenge

Everton have top six ambitions and have done for years. The truth is, their squad just isn’t good enough. Way too much deadwood has been bought in and is still about at Goodison Park. The likes of Theo Walcott, Morgan Schneiderlin and Bernard have had poor Everton careers, and those sort of players aren’t going to help them climb the table. With players like Cuco Martina and Oumar Niasse still at the club, you have to wonder why these players were signed in the first place, never mind given such long contracts. It may take a few transfer windows to ship the types of players out that aren’t helping take the club forward. It certainly won’t be done this month. Ancelotti needs to be backed, and they have to get the right players in – players he wants.  

The attitude of the players is not right

Not only is the squad pretty poor, but they’re also not all swinging in the right direction. The squad unity seemed to have completely gone by the time Marco Silva left the club, something that’s never pretty for any fan. Duncan Ferguson, the interim manager, seemed to bring some passion back to the club (even if he did make some strange decisions – the Moise Kean situation, for example), but the vulnerability in morale and attitude has already been exposed again following their defeat against Liverpool in the FA Cup, causing a reported bust-up in the dressing room and fans waiting outside the Everton training ground to vent their anger at players. Rumour has it Fabian Delph confronted Ancelotti about his tactics and was ordered to train on his own because of it. That’s the Carlo Ancelotti that has won three Champions Leagues, by the way. Being questioned by Fabian Delph. Yes, Fabian Delph. When a new manager comes to the club, it’s important to respect him as players. Let alone when it’s a manager with the stature Ancelotti has.  

Problems at Everton

There are a number of problems at Everton. Ancelotti certainly has a project to take on at Goodison and it’s going to be a long road to complete it. He needs to bring in a squad he can trust and then he’s got to work with it. https://twitter.com/purelyfootball/status/1215223787228160000?s=21 The managerial appointment is right, but this is only the start. Read More: How has it all gone so wrong for Ole Gunnar Solskjar at Manchester United?