The dismal Ronald Koeman era at Everton finally came to an end earlier this week, as the Dutchman was sacked due to a poor run of form.
Very few names have actually been linked to the Everton job at this point, as David Unsworth is reportedly going to be given a small chance to show what he can do. While an Unsworth appointment might seem like a good idea on the surface to inject ‘passion’ and all that crap, football matches are not won in such concepts.
Everton need an experienced manager who can attract good players, coach good players, and play some sort of attacking football in order to bridge the gap with Arsenal and Liverpool.
As a Manchester City fan, I saw a lot of Manuel Pellegrini. He was really given a hard time at the club and he took a lot of heat for mistakes made by others. Pellegrini was at times too predictable, but he was a top tier coach who played attacking football, and the majority of the squad played their best football under him. City’s recruitment was largely handled by Txiki Begiristain during Pellegrini’s reign, and the results were largely hit and miss, which left the manager with a squad whose quality didn’t really match the money spent on it.
There are reports circulating that Manel Pellegrini is interested in holding talks with Everton, and I believe he would be the perfect appointment for the Toffees at this point. There aren’t many managers available, but this does not mean Pellegrini should be seen as ‘the best of a bad bunch’. He has historically done well with teams that want to punch above their weight and break into a league’s elite, and he can do that with Everton if he is given a chance.
The first reason that makes Pellegrini a good option for Everton is that his system is very balanced, which would make a change from his potential predecessors. Roberto Martinez largely crammed technical players in his team at the expense of players who provided structure and Ronald Koeman decided to build a squad with four or five midfielders who all do the same job, all at the expense of playing quick or creative players.
Pellegrini’s system favours a two man midfield, with one sitter and one roamer. At Malaga, he played an aggressive midfielder – Manuel Iturra or Jeremy Toulalan – next to a more adventurous midfielder, Ignacio Camacho. Everton have a lot of central midfield players, and Pellegrini could likely find the right balance in midfield for a team that is currently horribly unbalanced.
Pellegrini preaches attacking football based on having as many players as possible in the central areas of the pitch but he has never received enough credit for setting up his teams to be solid and difficult to break down.
His teams have historically been solid, with Pep Guardiola once saying that his defensive movements were the best of any manager in Europe. Everton under Koeman were compact, but the lack of structure in attack essentially meant that the defenders were worn out by the end of games, this would change under Pellegrini.
Koeman’s allergy to creative and quick players was just plain strange and something that Pellegrini would be able to sort immediately. He would target playmakers, as his system often utilises two or three playmakers on the pitch at the same time, and he would once again give the full backs the freedom to roam forward and provide width.
Everton simply had no structure in attack, the plan was usually to whip an inordinate amount of crosses into the box, and this worked with Romelu Lukaku but less so with Wayne Rooney and Oumar Niasse. This current Everton squad really lacks cohesion and direction, but Pellegrini would at least give them something to build towards. Everton have a big budget, and this means they need to be signing players worthy of the money. Spending a big budget on workers and grafters is silly, as you can sign these sorts of player on free or low-cost transfers.
Everton’s defence hasn’t been good this year but I firmly believe they have the individuals to be a decent defensive unit. From what I have seen, the majority of Everton’s problems came because there was no plan at the top end of the pitch, the ball circulation was poor, and they were crossing to Rooney, who is absolutely not a striker anymore. Pellegrini’s way of playing the game would take pressure off the defence, and allow them to be the solid unit that we all know they can be.
At this point, the most important thing for Everton is not results, but signing the right players. Everton’s last two summers have been really underwhelming with players being signed for well above their value, which is ironic considering they hired Steve Walsh to sign unknown gems, not Yannick Bolasie for £25 million.
Pellegrini would expand their recruitment base, and target players who can push them to the next level. Everton have a solid base, as Jordan Pickford has all the tools to be one of the best goalkeepers in Europe, and Michael Keane can absolutely become a defensive anchor for a team with European ambitions.
To put it short, Everton need a big name manager who can sign big players, and promote attractive football, because Koeman absolutely did not promote this. His football was direct and unambitious, and he is a better fit for clubs with no real ambition. Pellegrini’s man management would also be welcomed, as Koeman clearly lacked people skills, as seen by his borderline bullying of Niasse.
In the short term, Pellegrini would steady the ship at Everton, but he would also bring attacking football to Merseyside, which is much needed.
Sean Dyche would be a decent option, but I honestly do not see much of a difference between him and Koeman. Dyche has built a Burnley team that consistently leads the Premier League in long balls per game. There is nothing wrong with this, but long ball is the sort of style that would be wasted on an expensive squad, as you can pick up players who fit that system on a small budget.
There is a chance I am being unfair to Dyche, as he may just be building a system around the players he has, but there is no evidence at this point that he would play a more advanced style of football with a better squad at his disposal. A Dyche appointment would be a mega-risk at this point, and Pellegrini offers a safer option, and an arguably more exciting option for Everton.
