Everton’s fantastic away run came to an end at Chelsea as Thomas Tuchel’s men handed the Toffees their first away defeat in the league since November 1, 2020. Carlo Ancelotti has pin pointed the reason for Everton’s impressive form on the road, praising the defensive discipline of the side.
“The defence. I think the key was that we were a little more focused defensively away, we were a little bit more scared or worried to play away and so we were more focused defensively. Most of our results away were down to a really good defence. After that we have quality in the counter-attack, we have quality on set pieces – most of these victories were after set pieces. It’s not difficult to read Everton performances.” (via Liverpool ECHO)
The defence has drastically improved over the past season. Michael Keane has gone from an inconsistent, shaky centre back to one of the strongest pillars in the backline. Yerry Mina, previously plagued by injuries, has managed to keep himself fit for the most part of the campaign. On the field, the Colombian’s aggression and aerial dominance has given Everton an edge in battles against towering strikers.
Mason Holgate has had a volatile campaign but most of such performances have come from the right back position when asked to cover for injured Seamus Coleman. But, the biggest surprise and stunning displays have come from Ben Godfrey.
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The Englishman has a penchant for using athleticism and aggression to disrupt the opposition rhythm. He is the most versatile of the lot. You name the position in the backline and he’s played there. A left back, a right back, a centre back in a back four, a centre back in a back three, he’s played it all.
The whole point of stressing on Everton’s centre back options is to highlight how well stacked the club is in that department at the moment. Yet, the Toffees continue to get linked to centre backs as we inch closer to the summer transfer window. Torino’s Gleison Bremer has been deemed as a potential transfer target. There is another centre back whose name keeps on crawling up on the Everton news feed, AS Roma centre back Gianluca Mancini.
Everton again linked to AS Roma Gianluca Mancini
According to Calciomercato, Everton like Mancini’s profile. The Italian’s resilient performances have sprung him into limelight as European clubs start to take notice of the 24 year old. Mancini has matured into a colossal leader in the Roma backline and is now a wanted man. Everton have previously been linked too along with Inter Milan. Apart from these two clubs, Chelsea, Juventus and Bayern Munich have also entered the fray.
Juventus are contemplating over life after Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci whereas Chelsea are looking at Mancini because of the uncertainty over Thiago Silva.
The Giallorossi signed him initially on loan from Atalanta, later completing the transfer in 2020. The Italian signed a contract until 2024 and earns €2 million a season. Despite all the attention Mancini is generating, AS Roma do not want to sell him as Mancini continues to be an inspirational figure on the pitch for the Romans.
Coming back to Everton, the links to a number of Gianluca Mancini and other centre backs seem outlandish and in no circumstance do Everton need to sign another centre back unless one of the current players in the roster are sold or offloaded.