Almost a decade after being sacked by Valencia, the same fate has befallen Ronald Koeman at Everton.
Ronald Koeman’s stint as Valencia manager between 2007 and 2008 was short lived, and former player Santiago Canizares is not surprised by his Everton failure.
Koeman was sacked by Everton this week just three months into his second season as manager of the club.
Former Spain international goalkeeper Canizares said that Koeman is good at keeping a team going, but is unable to create a new side, and his Everton spell proves that point.
He said: “When Koeman arrived in Valencia I asked a friend of mine who saw all the Ajax matches and told me that he was able to take advantage of a project that is already rolling and give them continuity but that he was unable to create a new project. He defined it perfectly.
“At Everton he has signed several important players in which they have spent a lot of money and once again has not been able to create a project … he is not a coach who knows how to create a project, hopefully he will learn.”
It is hard to argue with Canizares’ assessment based on Koeman’s time in England. He managed adequately in his first season, but after being given money to spend – and to be fair losing his top scorer – results suffered a downwards spiral.
Koeman managed well at Southampton, but critics would argue that the team was built by his predecessor Mauricio Pochettino.
At Valencia he was fired in his first season with the club in 15th place in early April, two points above the relegation zone. They rallied after his depature to finish 10th.
Canizares has clearly not forgotten the negative impact of his season in Spain.
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