Rooney, Sigurdsson and Klaassen conundrum for Koeman and Everton
Ronald Koeman hailed Everton's resolve following their comeback against Bournemouth.
Still nursing the one-sided 3-0 defeat to Atalanta in the opening round of group stage fixtures, Everton resume their Europa League campaign needing to bounce back with three points at home to Apollon Limassol on Thursday. Back-to-back wins against Sunderland and Bournemouth should boost confidence with this the third of four successive home games in all competitions.
Yet the need for an effective setup and players in positions suited to them remain high on the priority list. The toughest decisions are higher up the pitch as the use of two or three No. 10s in the same starting XI continues to hinder the team. Each of the last two home league games has seen Gylfi Sigurdsson, Wayne Rooney and Davy Klaassen operating behind the lone striker. Despite their individual qualities, using all three in close proximity is not working.
Rooney cut a frustrated figure against Bournemouth on Saturday, spending much of his time receiving treatment on the sideline or chastising the referee for not acting on the incident leaving him with a cut around his eye. The problem for Koeman, especially in this system, is finding a place for Rooney to be effective. With Everton struggling in possession of late, his tendency to drop deep only adds to the problems, overcrowding the middle third and limiting options in the final third.
Facing arguably the toughest task of the three as the only one adapting to a new league, Klaassen has shown flashes of his ability, adding a subtlety and intelligence in the final third, but to unlock those qualities on a more frequent basis, the former Ajax captain needs movement around him. His best performances to date have been on the rare occasions Everton opened up the pitch and stretched opponents.
The latest and most expensive arrival of this trio saw Sigurdsson complete his protracted £45 million with the season already underway and his preseason derailed as a result. His perplexing use on the left side of midfield is a product of Koeman forcing these players into the same system.
All three want to occupy the same areas of the pitch, leaving few passing options, minimal movement and a lack of width that hurts the team in both defence and attack. The win against Bournemouth saw Rooney and Klaassen both subbed after 54 minutes with neither having a shot nor creating a chance for a teammate in that time.
Wayne Rooney cut a frustrated figure last Saturday in Everton's nervy win over Bournemouth.
With little sign of these issues subsiding, Koeman has to consider alternatives. Aside from the recent League Cup tie, Rooney has started every match. Koeman has to be open to benching players irrespective of their price tag or standing -- and that applies not just to Rooney -- as the Bournemouth win highlighted this issue. The three substitutes that changed the game were two academy graduates, Tom Davies and Jonjoe Kenny, and Oumar Niasse, a striker repeatedly told he had not future at the club.
The finale against Bournemouth and the preceding Carabao Cup win over Sunderland demonstrated the possible merits of a change in approach as Koeman dispensed with the use of multiple No. 10s on both occasions.
In the 3-0 victory against Sunderland, Klaassen started in the middle of the attacking midfield trio with Nikola Vlasic and Sandro Ramirez providing better balance and enterprising play in wide areas. Likewise, though the final 35 minutes against Bournemouth saw a drastic switch to 4-4-2, there was a significant contrast between the previous 55 minutes. A permanent switch to 4-4-2 appears unlikely, but the general uplift in energy and attacking impetus turned the match around.
There was an effortless simplicity to the build-up to both Niasse goals that has been absent for too much of this season. Davies played a clever through-ball, the kind that has rarely been possible due to the lack of movement in the final third, before Niasse ran on and did the rest. For the first time in 401 minutes, Everton had a Premier League goal to their name and another followed five minutes later.
Niasse is unavailable on Thursday due to his omission from the Europa League squad submitted earlier this month -- few could argue with the decision at the time -- but the eventual outcome at the weekend and the tactics at the centre of the better moments in the past two matches has to set the tone from now on.
The best individual players are not always the ideal solution for the chosen system, as shown with the shoehorning of several No. 10s into the same unbalanced midfield setup. Form should take priority over name or reputation. This Europa League tie needs to signal the turning point in terms of selection and personnel.
Luke is ESPN FC's Everton blogger. Follow Luke on Twitter @lukeofarrell.
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Source: espn.co.uk
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