DUNCAN,
DUNCAN
FERGUSON
a ‘safe’ choice would not be tolerated by
the Toffees. And after years of struggling
to get it right – Ancelotti was the fourth
permanent manager appointed since Moyes
left in 2013 – it was crucial that this one
worked. The club took that on board and
worked tirelessly to get Carlo on a plane to
Merseyside.
The announcement of Ancelotti’s
appointment caused the inevitable
shockwaves around English football –
someone with such a glittering CV was
always going to grab attention when he first
walked in to Everton’s Finch Farm training
base. His first game, at home to Burnley on
a freezing cold December 26, was far from
a classic but instantly Everton were a better
team than in the dog days of the Silva reign,
more organised and more dangerous.
A 1-0 win kept the buzz going but results
have been mixed since then – it’s very
much been two steps forward and one step
back. Defeat to Liverpool’s Under-23s in
the FA Cup in January is a result that will
live long in the memory of any Everton fan
unfortunate enough to see the second half
capitulation – and more painful was the
end of any trophy aspirations for another
season. It’s now 25 years since Everton last
won a trophy – the FA Cup in 1995.
Ancelotti went all out at Anfield, aiming to
expose Jurgen Klopp’s decision to rest his
first team stars, but in truth – despite a first
half that should have seen Everton take the
lead – they were ultimately outplayed by
an energetic Liverpool side. The result cut
deep with Evertonians, particularly as their
old enemy marches on to a likely Premier
League title, but Ancelotti’s demonstrated
a change in response to derby defeats as
compared to some of his predecessors
- who have, in turn, blamed referees, the
fixture list, finances and bad luck for their
defeats at Anfield.
He admitted to selection errors and
admitted he was unhappy with the
performance, but refused to criticise the
players’ motivation, insisting blood-and-
thunder doesn’t win these types of games.
It would have been easy to bow to pressure
in an emotionally charged post-match
environment, but Ancelotti showed his
experience and called for pragmatism.
Results have taken an upward curve from
there, but issues over consistency and
identity dominate as Ancelotti looks to
establish a base to work from. Everton are
in some ways still trying to find what they
are as a club post-Moyes, almost seven
years after he left for Manchester United.
A string of managers, a new owner and
millions lavished on players every summer
has left the club confused. There’s still
some underdog spirit that was the heart of
Moyes’ success, but Ancelotti has reason to
be frustrated with seeing his side routinely
have to fight back from losing positions.
He isn’t a man of speculative gains and
his methods will take time to bed in at a
club that is fighting to change how it is
perceived – by football in general as well
as its own supporters, who have grown
increasingly disillusioned as new managers
have come and gone and nothing has
appeared to change. Instead, Ancelotti is a
methodical, thoughtful coach, and players,
fans and board members will have to
accept that if they want long-term progress,
despite the chaotic, pressurised nature of
the Premier League.
Some optimistic estimates at the start
of the 2019-20 season had Everton as
contenders for a top four finish, but that fell
away after a desperate start to the season.
Ancelotti though is likely to have to ride
out another wave of ‘Champions League
or bust’ pressure for 2020-21, but the
squad is clearly a long way from that
and the 60-year-old will not be rushed.
Pressure is inevitable in the coming
months but separating the realistic from
the unachievable will be vital for Ancelotti,
and he will have no issue in walking away if
expectation exceeds reality.
In his early days as Everton manager,
Ancelotti has done much to perpetuate the
idea that he is not a hard tactics manager
with an unshakable philosophy. His
reputation as a light-touch coach has been
earned in over two decades in the dugout,
and although Everton in 2020 is a world
away from winning the Champions League
with heavyweights in Italy and Spain, the
hallmarks remain the same.
Most of Ancelotti’s coaching career has
shown a flexible approach based on the
demands of the league and the players
he has to work with. It might be painful
for Everton fans to admit but the epitome
of modern football is resident across the
other side of the city as Liverpool dominate
domestically and on the continent.
Ancelotti has reacted to this by
acknowledging that two of the club’s most
effective players, full-backs Djibril Sidibe
and Lucas Digne need to far more involved.
This has meant an alteration between a
back three and four, with Mason Holgate
slotting in, to allow Sidibie and Digne to
get higher up the pitch. But aside from this,
Ancelotti has shown that he is still trying to
work out the best way to set up the rest of
the team.
He has spoken glowingly about the
potential of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, yet
given the tendency of Gylfi Sigurdsson
and others to slow down build up play,
the Blues’ top scorer is still having to do
more and more of his own donkey work.
A Europa League finish is likely to remove
any lingering speculation of an inglorious
exit for Ancelotti in May, but a summer of
key choices lies ahead. His early days at
Goodison have reminded fans that despite
money being spent on new players, too
often there has been a lack of strategy.
Ancelotti is the biggest name at the club,
and he will have little time for egos and
sentiment as he prepares for a first full
season on Merseyside. Calvert-Lewin,
Holgate, Digne and Yerry Mina are possibly
the only players guaranteed to be staying at
the club. Jordan Pickford has seen his star
fall this season, whilst Everton could cash in
on Richarlison. The futures of Sigurdsson,
Leighton Baines, Morgan Schneiderlin and
even captain Seamus Coleman could all
come under scrutiny ahead of the new
campaign. Ancelotti’s appointment is likely
just the start of the Goodison revolution.His full-throated commitment to the
Everton cause earned him a place
on Blue hearts but, Feargal Brennan
writes, Duncan Ferguson’s greatest
contribution might have been in the
dugout...Duncan Ferguson’s brief tenure as
interim boss in December reignited a
crucial fire within the fan base, following
the stale end to Marco Silva’s time at
Goodison Park. He only oversaw four
games but didn’t lose any of them in
90 minutes – there was a League Cup
penalty shootout defeat to Leicester- and earned five valuable points at a
time when Everton could have been
dragged into a relegation dogfight.
The former Scotland international
cuts an iconic figure for Blues fans
and retaining him was a necessary
and intelligent move by Ancelotti. His
playing career was beset by injuries
and suspensions but at his best, he was
unstoppable in the air and seemed to
live for the big games. Goals against
Manchester United and Liverpool
earned his place in Evertonian hearts,
and the way Everton fans stood by
Ferguson when he was jailed for an
on-the-pitch incident in his Rangers
days meant the feeling has long been
mutual. The Everton crest tattooed on
Ferguson’s arm isn’t just for show.
Ferguson’s role as part of Carlo
Ancelotti’s staff isn’t tokenistic either.
The Italian needs a conduit between
both the players and fans in his early
days at the club, and in turn, Ferguson
has shown both the tenacity and
humility to learn from Ancelotti.
Ferguson was refreshingly honest
about his readiness to manage Everton
permanently, and Ancelotti’s respect for
him has created bond at a crucial time.
OPPOSITE PAGE TOP:
It seemed fanciful
multi-time Champions
League winner Carlo
Ancelotti would join
Everton...
OPPOSITE PAGE
BOTTOM:
...but the Toffees
persisted and
eventually got their
man
TOP:
Moise Kean arrived
at Everton from
Juventus in summer
2019
BOTTOM:
A lot was expected of
Napoli this campaign
with Ancelotti at the
helm
BOTTOM RIGHT:
Club icon Duncan
Ferguson took interim
charge after Silva’s
sacking and restored
optimism at Everton