We are more frustrated than disappointed
It was Carlo Ancelotti’s day at Goodison Park this afternoon as he got his Everton career off to a winning start as he saw his side beat Burnley 1-0.
He received a superb reception from the Goodison crowd before kick off. “For me, it was a really special moment,” he said. “After that, I saw a good performance and a good result. Today was a perfect day. I’m happy because we need points to move up the table.
“It was a difficult game because Burnley played a strong game but we deserved the result. We tried to build up with three defenders to put more players between the lines, and some situations were good for us and others have to improve. This is normal and I don’t want to change a lot for the players.
“I have seen some good things. The spirit of the team, the fact Everton is a family and we have fantastic facilities.”
He did join the growing concern from Premier League managers over the schedule which means players will be asked to play again in two days time. “We are used to recovering after three days, but after two days is too much in my opinion,” Ancelotti said. “We have to play but it is impossible to recover so it affects the performance, not just for us, but also for Newcastle (Everton’s next opponents).
Sean Dyche admitted that it was frustration over any other feelings after this defeat. “We are more frustrated than disappointed, because the game was heading towards a 0-0 and we’d have taken that today, with all that was going on at Everton,” Dyche said.
“I don’t normally like to take a 0-0, but I would have, but unfortunately it’s gone away from us following a mistake. It was a game plan by design. We thought there might be a reaction to the new manager and that we’d have to absorb the game, especially in the first half and I thought we did that quite well.
“There wasn’t a lot in it and I’m pleased in that sense. They’ve spent a lot of money and after a top-class manager walks in the building, you would expect a reaction. They ended up playing in front of us methodically and quite slow, and that was a part of the plan. At half time we thought we could progress more, which we did, and I thought we took the game on in the second half.
“They went a lot longer and I thought our two centre halves were excellent. For them to be on the wrong end of a potential clean sheet was harsh today.”
It was Dwight McNeil who lost possession ahead of the only goals but the manager said of his young player: “Dwight has done brilliantly for us and that was a part of his learning curve. He’s tried to play inside football when we are open, but it was cut out and they capitalised quickly with a good ball in.
“We were just a bit disorganised and stretched as we were in possession at that moment, and that’s where you learn to play for position, not possession, by shaping it down the line and gathering your shape, but they are the moments and that’s how players learn. He is a fantastic young player and he will learn from that.”
Dyche added: “We knocked on the door a few times, without finding that golden moment, and we’ve managed to find that well in the last calendar year, but we never found those killer moments today. That is something we have to work on constantly and, unfortunately, they found it today.”
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