It was in 2016, when Carlo Ancelotti was Bayern Munich manager, that Farhad Moshiri explained Ronald Koeman’s appointment at Everton by describing the north-west of football as “the new Hollywood of football”.
Maybe the old Hollywood has struck back: while Koeman is now Barcelona manager, Real have rehired Ancelotti, plucking him from mid-table in the Premier League.
Two former Everton managers are in charge of arguably the world’s two biggest clubs while another, Roberto Martinez, leads the planet’s top-ranked international side, Belgium.
It poses questions if something is inherently wrong at Goodison Park. Perhaps none really failed at Everton, but the last manager to truly succeed there was David Moyes, who they recruited from Preston.
Ancelotti's sudden departure caps Everton's wretched 2021. Second on Boxing Day, they finished 10th. Their season had long appeared a case of what might have been; now his reign is one of what will never be.
The historic wins at Liverpool and Arsenal and the admirable victories at Tottenham, Leicester and West Ham were cancelled out by wretched home form. Their campaign became a false dawn.
There is a theory that, while he can win knockout competitions, Ancelotti’s lofty reputation disguises a habit of merely doing roughly as well as he should in league seasons with the players at his disposal. Arguably, though, Everton underachieved. They had standout triumphs over 90 minutes, but not over 38 games.
Now they have gone back to square one, searching for a manager again. Eighteen months ago, it felt surprising they had the pulling power to get Ancelotti. Now they lacked the appeal to keep him.
Eighteen months ago, the chairman, Bill Kenwright, advocated returning to Moyes. The less glamorous option, instead, outperformed Ancelotti this season and is likely to sign an extended deal with West Ham.
The choice of Eddie Howe as a boyhood Evertonian appeals to the sentimental Kenwright.
Moshiri, who exerts more influence, has an unfortunate habit of listening to agents, which may benefit Nuno Espirito Santo, famously super agent Jorge Mendes’ first client. It is a moot point if it works for Everton.
Certainly they have looked for managerial shortcuts in their quest to rival their north-west peers; and yet, damningly, they have no top-six finishes under Moshiri.
There has not been a coherent, consistent vision with very different appointments; the common denominator between Koeman, Allardyce and Ancelotti might be that each could be called a charismatic, experienced pragmatist. Marco Silva was supposed to be the rising star, but Everton fell on his watch.
Ancelotti's last game a 5-0 defeat at Man City: the ratings
-
MANCHESTER CITY RATINGS: Ederson 8 - After being named the Golden Glove winner for 2020/21, the Brazilian keeper made some key saves, including a penalty stop to deny Sigurdsson, to keep a clean sheet. EPA -
Kyle Walker 8 – The right-back marked his 125th Premier League appearance for City with some quality one-twos along the right wing. He also kept City’s defence tight and made some good tackles. EPA -
Ruben Dias 7 – The FWA’s Player of the Year had a good game though not to his normal standards. He gave away a penalty when he brought down Richarlison in the box, though redeemed himself with a number of good blocks. EPA -
John Stones 7 – The former Everton defender had a solid game. He was Mr Reliable, making a number of interceptions and cancelling out Everton’s attacking efforts. Reuters -
Oleksandr Zinchenko 5 – The young Ukrainian had a disappointing game despite City keeping a clean sheet. He was guilty of a poor back pass that fed through Richarlison before the striker was brought down, and he also gave away the ball on a number of other occasions. AFP -
Fernandinho 8 – City’s Captain produced a classic performance in the defensive midfield role; he not only assisted Aguero from a stellar cross, but he also won the ball back in the build-up for two more City goals. EPA -
Riyadh Mahrez 8 – The Algerian made his 227th Premier League appearance in style as he bagged an assist with some slick one-touch passes. He put on a show for the fans at the Etihad as he showed off his excellent first touch and crossing ability. Reuters -
Kevin De Bruyne – 9 – The Belgian maestro bagged a brilliant goal from outside the box into the bottom corner to put City ahead, and showed us why he is one of the best players in the world. AFP -
Phil Foden 8 – City’s now consistent star showed Gareth Southgate why he should be in the England team as he put his footwork to good use when he scored a great goal early on in the second half. He was later taken off, presumably as a precaution ahead of the Champions League final. EPA -
Raheem Sterling 7 – The 26-year-old wasn’t at his best. He didn’t make the most of his opportunities, though he did get an assist as he laid the ball off to Foden as City went 3-0 up. Reuters -
Gabriel Jesus 8 – The Brazilian striker scored his 50th Premier League goal after a great run from near the hallway line as City struck on the counter. He could have also got himself an assist, too, but he shot instead of squaring to De Bruyne. Reuters -
SUB: Rodri (Foden) 6 – The Spaniard was brought on to replace Foden, but he didn’t replace the quality. He missed a sitter in the middle of the box, skying his effort over the bar. Reuters -
SUB: Ferran Torres (Jesus) N/A – The young forward was looking for another goal to carry on his impressive form, but by the time he was brought on the win was already secured and he didn’t get many chances on the ball. EPA -
Sergio Aguero (Mahrez) 9 – In his final City game, the striker made sure to go out in style as he scored a sublime goal with the outside of his foot to put City 4-0 up. He then got on the end of a Fernandinho cross to head home and break another goalscoring record; he has now scored more goals for one Premier League team than any other player in history. Reuters -
EVERTON RATINGS: Jordan Pickford 6 – The keeper would have wanted more from his defence who left him with little chance of stopping City’s strikes. He did, however, make a number of smart saves to keep the scoreline from growing even further. EPA -
Lucas Digne 6 – The French full-back tried to produce a spark for his side. He had a good run forward but was met with few options. He also made a good tackle to deny City another counterattack. Reuters -
Ben Godfrey 5 – The former Norwich defender made a number of sloppy passes, including a risky back pass to Pickford, which wasn’t appreciated by the keeper. Reuters -
Michael Keane 4 – He made a number of mistakes, most notably giving the ball away, which Jesus seized to score. He also played Aguero onside as the striker made it 5-0. AFP -
Mason Holgate 5 – Had a poor game and was totally dominated by the skill and pace of Foden and Sterling on the left-hand side of the pitch. Ultimately, a day to forget. Reuters -
Allan 6 – The midfielder was let down by some of his teammates. He displayed some good control when on the ball, but City’s attack was too much for him to handle. AFP -
Tom Davies 5 – Now in his sixth season at the club, he made some good passes, but overall didn’t have much of an impact. He was at fault for Sergio Aguero’s first goal, as he gave the ball away to Fernandinho. Reuters -
Abdoulaye Doucouré 5 – The former Watford man put in a poor display. He was guilty of a number of poor passes, and he also wasted a counterattack due to his reluctance to distribute the ball to his teammates quick enough. AFP -
Gylfi Sigurdsson 6 – The away skipper saw his penalty saved by Ederson, while his other shots either finished wide or were easily saved. EPA -
Richarlison 5 - He won a penalty which Sigurdsson saw saved. He did have a good chance after getting on the end of a counterattack, but he was tackled well by a defiant Stones. AFP -
Dominic Calvert-Lewin 6 – The Englishman is fighting to gain an England call up, but he didn’t have a great game here. He nearly scored but his effort rolled wide, and he didn’t have a great deal of service to work with. EPA -
SUB: Alex Iwobi (Doucoure) 5 - The winger didn’t get many chances on the ball after being brought into the game, but he had a good run near the end. EPA -
SUBS: Bernard (Sugurdsson) 6 – Everton’s small playmaker did make a slight impact as he created a number of chances, but they were met with poor end product. His highlight was probably a slick through ball to Richarlison late on. Niels Nkounkou (Richarlison) N/A - The Frenchman had very little impact as he was brought on late and his side were dominated by the champions.
They are weighed down by past mistakes in the transfer market. That Ancelotti’s four main purchases were all at least qualified successes brought improvement when Everton had their best 11 available, but the fault lines in the squad were too often apparent. Also, the capacity to underperform and frustrate. His Everton veered between excellent and dismal.
His legacy will be slighter than Everton anticipated when they appointed him though Ben Godfrey and Abdoulaye Doucoure should be appreciated by Ancelotti’s successor; Allan, too, if an Ancelotti protege from his Napoli days stays.
James Rodriguez represented one of the most glamorous signings in Everton’s history and his best was brilliant but his commitment felt lacking when he departed before the end of the season, only to then fail to make Colombia’s Copa America squad. Without Ancelotti, does his long-term ally remain?
An expensively compiled mishmash of a squad presents a challenge to Ancelotti’s replacement.
There appears no ideal candidate – the case for Rafa Benitez is undermined by his Liverpool past – but even hiring someone with Ancelotti’s track record was no one-stop solution. He left 18 months into a 4.5 year-deal, leaving Everton trapped in a cycle of instability where the gulf between ambition and reality remains huge.
