0:44 Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti insists Liverpool’s selection decisions did not affect his team’s performance in their FA Cup third-round defeat on Sunday
The feeling among supporters is that business must now be made a priority this month, if nothing else, as a statement that the humiliation of being out of both cup competitions before the end of January is nowhere near good enough. And with the team just five points off seventh, and a potential European place, the campaign is far from irretrievable.
While the temptation will be to throw more money at the project, Ancelotti’s admittance that he spoke to his players following this chastening night should have revolved around creating a winning mentality and the steps needed to bring about a culture for success.
Furthermore, while Everton are in no immediate danger of breaching Financial Fair Play criteria, with the club pressing on with their proposed new £500m Bramley-Moore Dock stadium, the Goodison Park outfit are set to announce record financial losses, according to The Daily Telegraph.
‘Everton squad in need of a refresh’
After in excess of £100m was spent last summer under a previous regime, Ancelotti will instead look to offload fringe players this month and assess the remainder of his squad next summer ahead of his first full season in charge.
“Some of the players will need to go,” Sky Sports pundit Sue Smith said. “Cenk Tosun works hard and gets the club but it’s just not worked for him.
“There’s been poor signings so he’s going to have to do a bit of a refresh and get rid of those he doesn’t want.
“He really backs Dominic Calvert-Lewin but I do wonder if Everton still need to bring another striker in. January is often a time of panic buys, so unless it’s someone who you feel can really make an instant impact, it’s perhaps best to wait.
“It was difficult for Ancelotti to assess his squad during a hectic festive period as he tries to instil his way of playing, but you can see he wants to play out from the back.
“I just don’t feel that Everton have the players at the moment to do that. Yerry Mina was struggling in possession against Liverpool and he panicked on the ball.
“Seamus Coleman was among those taking too many touches, and that could be because there wasn’t enough movement in front of them, or perhaps it’s because they need to be more comfortable on the ball.
“It’s probably a combination of the two, so he may need to bring in a ball-playing centre-half. He needs to strengthen in midfield because of the number of injuries in that area.”
Does Sigurdsson have a future at the club?
Liverpool won the midfield battle with Pedro Chirivella and Adam Lallana, underlining Everton’s clear area of weakness that has been highlighted following injuries to Andre Gomes and Jean-Philippe Gbamin, as well as Fabian Delph’s ongoing fitness issues.
Gylfi Sigurdsson struggled to cope alongside Schneiderlin and Ancelotti will be happy to shelve that failed experiment at the earliest opportunity.
Smith added on Sigurdsson: “You can’t doubt his quality on the ball, but he needs legs around him. It’s like Mesut Ozil at Arsenal. He needs his work horses around him in Lucas Torreira and Granit Xhaka.
“Everton need the players to protect the defence and Sigurdsson hasn’t got the tools to play in that position. The question now is whether Ancelotti decides if he can fit into his system. He was getting over-run by young, energetic players. Gbamin coming back from injury will be a huge boost but the problem is that he’s got a lot of players from three or four different managers.
“Ancelotti won’t jump in and buy players Everton don’t need. Unless a bargain comes up, I think it would be best to leave it until the summer when he will have a better idea of the squad. I don’t think throwing money at it is the answer. That’s been the problem, where the wrong type of players have been signed. Carlo will need time and the Everton fans will give him it.”
The likes of Oumar Niasse and Tosun have no future on Merseyside, but no one can claim to be truly safe under the 60-year-old, who will certainly have his own targets and ideas, as he has already shown in the way he has tactically set up the side.
Theo Walcott, Sigurdsson, Schneiderlin and Coleman were all singled out for criticism as Everton ran out of legs and ideas on Sunday, but they are four senior professionals who will be hurting as much as anyone affiliated to the club on Monday morning.
Ancelotti is on a reported salary of £11m a year. As he prepares to sit down with Brands this week to draw up an action plan for the January transfer window, he is going to have to earn every penny.
How to follow the January transfer window with Sky Sports
Sky Sports will bring you the very latest news from the January transfer market with the return of three shows.
Start your day with Good Morning Transfers at 9am as our team of reporters bring you the latest news and insight. Transfer Talk then follows at midday delivering analysis of the biggest stories. Then join us at 7pm for the definitive round-up of the day’s news with The Transfer Show.
Meanwhile, the Transfer Talk podcast will also be back at the turn of the year with more expert analysis from here and across the continent.
And as well as tuning into Sky Sports News, don’t miss a thing with our dedicated Transfer Centre blog.
Sourse: skysports.com
