New Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti would have been looking on wondering what he had to work with as he was among the Goodison Park crowd for the goalless draw against Arsenal on Saturday.
In all honesty there wasn’t a great deal of quality on show from either team on Merseyside, and the Italian will be under no illusions to the hard work ahead as he looks to make the Toffees a contender for the top six or even the top four in the Premier League during his reign.
One player who surely would have caught his eye at the weekend was a player who doesn’t even belong to Everton – yet, anyway.
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Duncan Ferguson restored Djibril Sidibe to the starting line-up at right-back fter he missed the draws against Manchester United and Leicester City through illness, with Seamus Coleman dropping to the substitutes’ bench.
That was a big call considering the Republic of Ireland international is club skipper, but it was also not too surprising given the Monaco man had provided three assists in his previous five top flight appearances before being ruled out.
He impressed again against the Gunners at both ends of the pitch too, helping the defence keep a clean sheet while also trying to make a difference in the final third for the Merseysiders.
According to WhoScored, the 27-year-old had 85 touches of the ball – 18 more than his nearest Everton teammate – while he made three tackles and six interceptions.
That is exactly the type of defensive stats Ancelotti will want to see from his full-back, with a report in The Liverpool Echo suggesting he likes one to stay back if the other is attacking in a 4-4-2 formation – Lucas Digne of course is on the other flank.
From an attacking point of view he did his best too, successfully completing four dribbles and making four crosses, although only one of them was accurate.
Still, he was clearly getting in the right positions and showed that he has the ability to be a big player for the Toffees and Ancelotti in the future.
Everton signed the Frenchman on a season-long loan with an option to buy in August, and while he may have taken some time to get going having failed to feature in the Premier League until October, there is no doubt that he is really beginning to get into the groove and show why he has 18 caps for the current world champions.
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As a result, he may have just become one of the Italian’s transfer priorities next summer after this display showed he can step up and perform to a high level.
In other Everton news, Toffees fans have want the club to sign a five-goal Premier League star described by one supporter as being a “great step up from Sigurdsson”.