Sam Allardyce has turned Everton’s fortunes on their head.
Sky Sports pundit Andy Hinchcliffe has told Friday’s Premier League Daily Show that Sam Allardyce’s influence has made Everton’s star-studded squad want to play football again.
Everton were in the relegation zone at one point following Ronald Koeman’s sacking but the Toffees have gone unbeaten in four Premier League outings under the former England boss, now sitting in ninth place.
Shutting up shop at the back, the Toffees also look more dangerous going forward and Hinchcliffe claims he is getting the best out of his players.
He also reckons he has re-galvanised 28-year-old midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, while playing Wayne Rooney deeper and leading the line with Dom Calvert-Lewin has proved crucial.
“It’s as if a switch has been flicked and the players now really want to work hard for the team,” Hinchcliffe said. “The players have realised that they’ve had to put the performances in and they’ve been transformed.
“But he’s got players in just the right position, [Morgan] Schneiderlin’s come back in and done a much better job than he did earlier in the season.
“The balance of the team is right, [Wayne] Rooney is in a more central position, they’ve got [Dominic] Calvert-Lewin leading the line who Everton fans wanted there because of his ability to counter-attack.”
Everton now face possibly their toughest task under Allardyce as they play host to Antonio Conte’s Chelsea at Goodison Park, but fans will be optimistic following their recent run of results.
Three points could see the Merseyside club climb as high as eighth on Saturday, if Leicester City lose to Manchester United at the King Power on Saturday evening.
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