Premier League: Everton’s bold move to hire Ancelotti has paid off
Then Everton announced a bold move.
On December 22nd, sixty-year-old Italian Carlo Ancelotti was named manager of Everton Football Club. The same man who managed at Chelsea, AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, PSG, and Napoli, winning three Champions Leagues, four league titles (in four different countries), and six domestic cups was now managing mid-table Everton. This was a huge holiday surprise.
Ancelotti was on the sidelines on Boxing Day at Goodison Park for his first match in charge. A Dominic Calvert-Lewin goal on an improbable header in the 79th minute provided a 1-0 victory against Burnley. The new manager started with a 3-4-1-2 formation that suffocated their opponents. The visitors managed no shots on target and could only muster an average of 5.53 passes in the Blues offensive zone (PPDA) before being challenged, per understat.com.
What has been the hallmark of Ancelotti’s success tactically has been using a 4-4-2 formation and also being flexible to suit his club’s abilities and their opponents. For Everton’s next Premier League match at Newcastle, Carlo employed a 4-4-2 formation with holding midfielders acting as dual 6’s. The Toffees generated more offense with nine shots on target with an expected goals (xG) of 2.83, however, this was at the expense of defensive stability. United managed 5 shots on target with an xG of 1.63. In the end, it was the Toffees with the three points after notching a 2-1 victory.
Formations and tactics were shifted in their next two matches, both losses to Manchester City and Liverpool (FA Cup). Ancelotti chose a defensive counter-attacking posture with City and a more attacking strategy with holding midfielders against Liverpool. Though Everton dropped both matches they remained competitive, losing only by a goal in each game, which wouldn’t have been the case under the previous manager.
Everton have been on a five match unbeaten run. Their new manager has alternated between a straight 4-4-2 and double six 4-4-2 strategy depending on the opponents. He used the double six strategy against Brighton winning 1-0, while holding his opponents to two shots on target and a PPDA of just 8.30, per understat.com. Carlo switched to a more offensive minded tactic against West Ham in their 1-1 draw. While Everton continued to hold off the Hammers offensive movements in their defensive zone, their attack was given similar treatment resulting in the draw.
Everton was a bit unlucky against a plucky Newcastle squad who managed only three shots on target, but scored on two in stoppage time in a draw. Ancelotti used holding central midfielders and they had managed to hold the Magpies off until the very end.
In their last two matches against Watford and Crystal Palace, Everton’s tactics moved to a more offensive straight 4-4-2 occasionally pushing their central midfielders forward against a “weaker” opponent. The plan worked as they scored three goals in each match. Their xG in those matches were 2.7 and 2.79 respectively, per understat.com. The Blues walked away from both matches with three points each.