Report Claims Confusing Koeman Tactics & Increasing Isolation Led to Everton Sacking

Ronald Koeman's final few weeks as Everton boss saw the Dutchman become more reclusive and revert to confusing tactics.

That is according to the Times' Paul Joyce who, thanks to his sterling contacts in the north west of England, reported that Koeman's time at Goodison Park was up despite the 54-year-old's insistence that he would not be sacked.

Koeman's Toffees reign was brought to an end on Monday after just 16 months in the post - the club's 5-2 home drubbing at the hands of Arsenal being the final nail in his coffin.

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It is the ex-Southampton manager's match plan and lack of communication with his playing staff, however, which has been mooted as the major factor in his Merseyside departure.

Everton's stars are said to have become bewildered at Koeman's insistence on playing long balls forward in their final training session ahead of the Gunners' visit, with the likes of Wayne Rooney, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Davy Klaassen being completely bypassed as a result.

Arguably three of the Blues' most creative players, it appears that Koeman's desire to see his team ping arcing balls to his striking focal point did not go down well, particularly due to the club's failure to bring in a target man to replace Romelu Lukaku in the summer.

Joyce also went on to report that the Barcelona legend had not held discussions with staff employed by the club's youth academy over emerging stars, and failed to provide clear evidence as to why he made so many half-time substitutions and tactical changes when questioned.

Joyce's report does little to appease some Evertonians who always thought that Koeman saw the Toffees merely as a stepping stone on his way to taking over at Barcelona, and his decision to refer to the club as "Everton" instead of "we" throughout his tenure only exacerbated that problem further.

It is also well known that Koeman resided in Cheshire as opposed to Liverpool and, with the Dutchman seen joking over dinner in Manchester following Everton's loss to Arsenal, it seemed only a matter of time before he would be shown the door.