Everton have impressed under new head coach Carlo Ancelotti while, under Marco Silva, the Toffees were in a Premier League relegation battle.
BBC Sport pundit Mark Lawrenson has praised the progress Everton have made in a short space of time under new Goodison Park head coach Carlo Ancelotti in comparison to the “wishy-washy” outfit under Marco Silva (BBC Sport).
Everton brought the Italian in as the permanent replacement for Silva, who was axed by the Toffees hierarchy in early December following a severe downturn in form which culminated in the Goodison Park side dropping into the Premier League relegation zone.
After Duncan Ferguson’s caretaker stint brought about an immediate change in fortunes, Ancelotti took the Everton reins on 21 December, and since then the Toffees have improved massively, currently sitting ninth in the table.
Everton host Crystal Palace at Goodison Park in Saturday’s early kickoff and Lawrenson spoke of how the impressive comeback against Watford last week is testament to how well Ancelotti is doing in the Toffees dugout.
“Everton’s comeback from 2-0 down to beat Watford 3-2 last week was more than just a good result; it put everyone at the club in great spirits,” he told BBC Sport. “It was the first time the Toffees had won a league game after going behind since December 2017, and it just adds to Carlo Ancelotti’s impressive start as manager.
“The Toffees look like a more refined team now too – they were a bit wishy-washy under their previous manager Marco Silva but there is a lot more substance to their performances now, and it appears they have a plan.”
Everton are unbeaten in the past 10 Premier League meetings, keeping a clean sheet in each of the last three, and could equal their longest top-flight home winning streak versus Crystal Palace – three from 1979 to 1990 (BBC Sport).
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