Martin Keown believes the way Sam Allardyce approached Everton’s game against Watford on Saturday caused the Toffees to suffer a 1-0 defeat.
Allardyce’s side looked like they were going to secure a 0-0 draw with the Hornets at Vicarage Road, but Troy Deeney scored in the 79th minute to earn his team all three points.
BT Sport presenter Jake Humprey directly asked Keown, while on BT Sport (Saturday, 19:46pm)whether it was the personnel or Everton’s approach that caused the defeat, and the former Arsenal defender clearly stated that he thought Allardyce’s approach was to blame.
“I think today was the approach,” replied the pundit.
“They weren’t geared to take that game by the scruff of the neck, they didn’t play balls into the front nearly enough.
“I think he was quite happy to settle for a draw and in the end he will see it as a sucker punch that they’ve lost.
“And it’s a catalogue of mistakes that’s happened, nothing between the two teams, but really Everton should be dominating.”
After the Watford defeat, Everton sit ninth in the table, only seven points clear of the bottom three.
OPINION
Keown is right with his assessment of Allardyce’s approach to Saturday’s game, as his Everton side never looked like they were going to win Saturday’s game at any point. The Toffees hardly went on the attack and looked happy to settle for a 0-0 draw. It was a shocking performance given the amount of quality they have in their team. While Keown is right about Allardyce, it’s harsh to suggest that it was just his fault on Saturday. Several Everton players, such as Wayne Rooney and Gylfi Sigurdsson, looked off the pace and didn’t give their team the best chance of winning.