Leon Osman has criticised Ronald Koeman’s decision to play three at the back against Chelsea.
Former Everton midfielder Leon Osman has told BBC Sport’s Match of the Day 2 Extra that he thinks Ronald Koeman’s decision to play three at the back against Chelsea was ‘strange’.
The Toffees travelled to Stamford Bridge with hopes of building on their 2-0 win over West Ham United, but their trip to West London quickly turned into nightmare.
Manager Koeman went with a back three of Ashley Williams, Phil Jagielka and Ramiro Funes Mori, with Seamus Coleman and Bryan Oviedo lining up as wing backs to try and deal with Chelsea’s 3-4-2-1 system.
Leon Osman in action for Everton
However, Chelsea tore through the Everton back line, with Eden Hazard and Marcos Alonso putting the Blues 2-0 up inside 20 minutes, prompting Koeman to bring on Kevin Mirallas for Oviedo, scrapping the three-man defence.
It didn’t exactly help; Diego Costa and Pedro added goals either side of Hazard’s second goal to seal a 5-0 win for Chelsea, and a complete humiliation for Everton in the capital.
Whilst Chelsea’s three-man defence is thriving under Antonio Conte, Everton’s approach went terribly wrong, and Koeman’s decision has been brought into question by many, especially considering that a similar experiment failed at West Bromwich Albion earlier this season.
Everton manager Ronald Koeman
Now, former Everton midfielder Leon Osman has spoken to BBC Sport’s Match of the Day 2 Extra, and he suggested that Koeman’s tactical switch was ‘strange’, as it looked like the Everton players hadn’t even worked on training in the system.
Osman added that Everton must focus on the next game and make sure they don’t lose in such fashion again, and heavily criticised the three-man back line as they were left three-on-three against Pedro, Hazard and Costa.
Leon Osman celebrates after scoring the first goal for Everton
“I think, for me, it was a strange decision to go to three at the back away at Chelsea,” said Osman. “The team didn’t seem to have worked on it, the way they looked, and were completely found out by Chelsea on the night. Move on, put it behind you, focus on the next game and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“I think Koeman was looking to match up to Chelsea, but all it seemed to do on the night was leave three versus three at the back. Chelsea’s front three were up against Everton’s back three, and when you’re one-on-one with players of Pedro, Hazard and Costa’s ability, you’re going to lose the game 5-0,” he added.
What did you think of Everton’s three-man defence?
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
