Several Everton players hit back and defended themselves after Duncan Ferguson gave the squad a dressing-down following Sunday’s loss to Liverpool, according to reports.
Everton fielded a fairly strong side in their FA Cup third round clash against the Reds at Anfield last weekend, but the Toffees fell to defeat against a team who had been severely weakened by Jurgen Klopp.
Featuring just a handful of senior players as well as a number of Under-23s players, Liverpool got the win via a sublime Curtis Jones strike, which Jordan Pickford could have done nothing about.
Following the game though, in what could be considered one of the most humiliating Merseyside Derby defeats of recent memory, Ferguson spent 25 minutes lambasting the players for letting themselves and the club down.
However, according to The Athletic, a number of players hit back, insisting that they had given their all during the second half, and that Carlo Ancelotti’s set-up and tactics are to blame.
Ancelotti himself was said to have been left shocked at how bad some of the players’ performances were against the Reds, while the coaching staff were stunned by the defiance of the senior squad members.
Many Evertons fans reacted online to the situation, with few feeling sympathy for the players.
Twitter: @EvertonBlueArmy Show them the game and ask them to show were the effort was cos us fans couldn’t see it. If they t… https://t.co/oXf5YmnIQZ (@Cheryl01375906)
Twitter: @EvertonBlueArmy A mass chant of “your not fit to wear the shirt” should be in order on Saturday. These players nee… https://t.co/83Fs8TJqMY (@TomFox87)
Twitter: @EvertonBlueArmy Belter. Get rid of every single player who thinks that they performed well on Sunday, because that… https://t.co/ySCZ0dTLfw (@_JakeClark_)
Read Everton Verdict
After a defeat that was as humiliating and damaging as that, I can understand why some of the players hit back at Ferguson. Emotions would have been high, anger would have been in the room, and it is hard not to react under those circumstances to criticism. However, Ferguson was right to do so, as many of these players need to hear home truths if they are to make up for a season ending calamity.
Everton’s squad must adapt to Ancelotti’s style, and whether it has been a difficult transition or not, losing to that Liverpool side is inexcusable for a side that is suppose to possess so much talent. Ancelotti needs time to settle, but the players must do better to ease that transition, and pointing blame at the new manager is not going to correct the situation or improve morale.
Ancelotti will now know that the squad he has inherited is irrefutably flawed, and in desperate need of an overhaul. Poor recruitment decisions from previous managerial regimes still linger at Goodison Park, with many of the players simply not good enough to challenge at the level that both Ancelotti and Everton are demanding of them.
It isn’t possible to overhaul an entire squad in one window, and it will take time as Ancelotti begins to make this squad his own. Attitudes must change immediately though, and players must take responsibility for their own actions, or else Ancelotti needs to remove them from the squad altogether.
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