I tinkered with the tactics and made the midfield a lot more compact, in order to cope with Arsenal’s attacking might. Out went the underperforming Ross Barkley and Gerard Deulofeu, and in came the pacey Aaron Lennon and the tough tackler Muhamed Besic. What if the fans start to turn on me? What if the board regret taking a chance on this inexperienced upstart? I need a result and soon.Īfter not being able to even score a single goal against teams that Everton really should be singlehandedly beating if we are to have any ambitions this season, how on Earth are we going to not get battered by Arsenal? Changes were needed. Four games in, relegation zone, and I’m already feeling the pressure pulling down on me like an anchor.
A 1-0 loss at home to Swansea City on the opening day of the season set an early disappointing tone, which was followed by three uninspired 0-0 draws on the bounce against Bournemouth, Middlesbrough and Southampton. Despite the fixture gods looking kindly down upon me, my Everton side have failed to win any of their first four games. My reign as manager of Merseyside Blue, or Everton, has not gotten off to a great start.
