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How Carlo Ancelotti charmed his way to the periphery of a colossal coup

Since Carlo Ancelotti was appointed as the manager of Everton only rivals Liverpool have accumulated more points than the Toffees’ 17 from eight matches. It has been a dramatic turnaround, initiated by now assistant Duncan Ferguson who guided the club out of the relegation zone to 13th upon the Italian’s appointment. The three-time Champions League winner has not let up, steering the Merseyside club back into the race for Europe, which would have seemed almost impossible upon Marco Silva’s sacking with Everton in 18th.

The Italian is a master man-manager, and there have already been some noteworthy examples of how he has charmed his players into performing. Theo Walcott revealed that Ancelotti had pulled him aside before the Watford clash and said: “Theo, you are allowed to score goals.” It would have been easy to take the comment as a dig at his lack of Premier League strikes, but instead “it made me laugh and relax,” Walcott added. The Englishman then did precisely what his manager asked of him by scoring his first goal of the season to ignite a comeback against the Hornets.

But Walcott revealed Ancelotti is not just a soft touch: “We saw the other side of him at West Ham. He has that in him – but he is a very calming influence in the dressing room.” Whether Everton knew it or not the Italian has proved to be the ideal successor to Ferguson, while the Scot’s intensity got the Toffees players out of the drop and firing again, Ancelotti’s laid-back charm has inspired confidence in his squad.

It appears the boss has assumed something of a father figure role, after all, he is one of the most successful players and managers in the history of the game, and there are few better examples to aspire to replicate. Additionally, Ancelotti has not made the mistake of wanting to change too much too soon to put his own stamp on proceedings. Instead, he has built upon Ferguson’s tactical switch to a 4-4-2 and steadily tweaked the Toffees in a typically understated manner. After Everton had lost 5-2 to a much-changed Liverpool side qualifying for Europe would have appeared the most unlikely of coups. However, thanks to some adept man-management Ancelotti has put Everton on the periphery of achieving just that.

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