When Farhad Moshiri became the majority shareholder at Everton, there was an air of optimism that surrounded the Iranian billionaire’s arrival at Goodison.
Chairman Bill Kenwright described the investor as “the perfect partner”, but since that fateful day in September 2016, things have not gone quite to plan. Everton are sitting in 11th this season, having previously teetered on the brink of the relegation zone but once more their campaign is in danger of fizzling out to meaningless mid-table obscurity, having been knocked out of the FA Cup by rivals Liverpool.
Since Moshiri took charge of the Toffees, they have spent in excess of £450m on transfers, but it has been tough to spot any tangible progression on the pitch. The squad Carlo Ancelotti has taken charge of is horrifically unbalanced from the Ronald Koeman era, an issue Marco Silva failed to address. While there are plenty of creative talents, the Toffees lack a goal scorer, which has been masked of late by Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s upturn in form.
To make sure this season does not end similarly to the last two, finishing narrowly outside the European places without ever really threatening to make an appearance in the Europa League, Ancelotti must show some evidence of progress on the pitch. For some time now, the Toffees have been devoid of a clear tactical identity, and it is the Italian’s job to make sure that each player knows precisely what is required of them when they step onto the Goodison Park turf.
Duncan Ferguson managed to develop a clear but basic identity in his brief spell as caretaker boss, soaking up pressure in a 4-4-2 low block and counter-attacking the opposition. But Ancelotti has a glut of talent at his disposal and should be capable of instilling a significantly more expansive brand of football.
A European adventure is still a possibility, but the primary goal of the rest of this campaign for the new Everton boss has to be making sure there is tangible evidence of a tactical structure in place during games. If Ancelotti fails to secure a Europa League spot and Everton slip back into playing like a group of individuals, then the 2019/20 season will be just another that slipped by under the Moshiri regime.
