Carlo Ancelotti takes charge of his first fixture since being appointed the new manager of Everton when they welcome Burnley to Goodison Park on Boxing day.
Overtaking club legend and caretaker manager Duncan Ferguson will be no easy task after he transformed the Toffees form, having masterminded three Premier League games without defeat. Those were against Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea, while the Italian has the Clarets then Newcastle United before a daunting trip to the Etihad Stadium.
Against Sean Dyche’s side, Ancelotti may look to progress from Ferguson’s back to basics 4-4-2 formation and counter-attacking tactics. It was highly effective over the short term, but other than the game against Chelsea, the tweaks failed to generate many attacking opportunities, as they scored just once in the final two games. The Italian may wish to transition back to a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1; the formations utilised most often by Marco Silva. They are more suited to the players at Everton’s disposal and have previously been employed by Ancelotti throughout his career.
The only exception is at Napoli, there the three times Champions League winner did use the same 4-4-2 formation as Ferguson. It was effective due to Napoli’s tactical flexibility, with midfielders who could operate as wide players or in the centre. Those sorts of options are not available to Ancelotti at Everton, so it might be wise not to play the same formation if he wants to play more on the front foot.
Taking the game to Burnley is something Everton will be expected to do, especially with such a decorated manager in charge. It would be a signal of his intent to target Champions League football if he could oversee a convincing debut win against Dyche’s notoriously resilient Burnley. To do that the Toffees will have to dominate possession and prove they can pick apart teams who sit deep, varying the style from the effective but uninspirational Ferguson tactics.
