Carlo Ancelotti has been widely tipped as the top candidate on Everton’s shortlist for their next permanent manager. The three-time Champions League winner will need to be wary though if he does take over at Goodison Park as he will be faced with a squad that is not of the calibre he has become accustomed too. One area which may be of concern is the centre of defence.
Both Yerry Mina and Michael Keane are capable Premier League central defenders, though one issue which they faced consistently under Marco Silva was his attempt to play a high line. Neither Mina or Keane have an abundance of pace, meaning when they attempt to play high up the pitch and compress space for the opposition attacks, they are left vulnerable to long balls in behind the defence.
Part of the reason Duncan Ferguson has been so successful is due to the fact he has deployed a low block, conceding possession to Chelsea and then Manchester United in his opening two matches. That has meant Mina and Keane being positioned very deep with no threat of a counter-attack in behind and it has been much more effective, with the Toffees conceding just once.
Ancelotti will probably not wish to employ such extreme counter-attacking measures, as Everton have averaged 30 and 33 per cent possession in their last two matches. However, he should learn from Silva’s defensive issues and Ferguson’s temporary fix to find a balance that works for Everton. To keep hold of the ball, they will almost certainly have to push the defensive line further up the field and use either a mobile central defensive midfielder as cover or consider a new centre back partnership.
A player who is capable of playing either as part of a back four or just in front of it is Jean-Philippe Gbamin, the Ivorian who arrived at Goodison Park in the summer only to sustain a hamstring injury keeping him out until January. His return is precisely what Everton and possibly Ancelotti needs to tweak their defence to retain more possession without being quite so porous at the back.
