Since Marco Silva was sacked as head coach of Everton, club legend Duncan Ferguson has been placed in temporary charge for matches against Chelsea and Manchester United, steering his former side to four points.
His next opponent, Leicester City, are another high-flying Premier League club, with the two teams meeting in the quarter-final of the Carabao Cup. To overcome the Premier League’s second-placed side, Ferguson must use their title-winning tactics against them.
So far during his opening two fixtures in charge that is precisely what Ferguson has done. Everton have averaged 31.5 per cent possession yet have taken on 21 shots and scored three goals in two games. So far this season Leicester City have had the fourth-highest average possession of any side, 55 per cent, meaning their strategy will play right into Everton’s hands.
Out of possession, Everton will look to drop back into a low block, with two banks of four tightly compressed, so the Foxes struggle to pass their way through. Then when the opportunity presents itself, Everton will use the raw pace of Richarlison, Bernard and Alex Iwobi to rapidly transition defence into attack, exposing the opposition’s advanced full-back pairing of Ben Chilwell and Ricardo Pereira.
With space to run into, Caglar Soyuncu and Jonny Evans will be isolated, meaning the Everton attack can outnumber the opposition defence to ensure their opportunities are not squandered. It is football in its least sophisticated form, but as Leicester City found out when utilised effectively, the counter-attack can combat any opposition, especially one who prefers to dominate control of the ball as the Foxes have tended to under Brendan Rodgers.
If Ferguson sticks to the principles that have seen him accumulate four points in two Premier League matches, then Everton have a great chance of getting past Wednesday’s opponents. Yet it would unquestionably provide a bitter taste for Leicester City to be beaten at their old game by the Toffees in the Ferguson era.
