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Ronald Koeman would consider leaving Everton if players stopped playing for him after latest defeat raises questions

Koeman's side have won just two of their last 10 matches, but manager claims he cannot fault the effort of his Everton players

Simon Hughes
Goodison Park
Sunday 01 October 2017 18:17 BST
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Ronald Koeman believes his players are still committed to him despite the 1-0 defeat by Burnley
Ronald Koeman believes his players are still committed to him despite the 1-0 defeat by Burnley

Ronald Koeman admitted that he would consider his position as Everton manager if he thought his players were not playing for him.

Everton’s 1-0 defeat by Burnley leaves them two points above the Premier League relegation zone despite a record summer of spending at Goodison Park.

Koeman was, however, satisfied by the level of commitment from his Everton team during the loss, sealed by Jeff Hendrick’s excellent first half goal.

“No. I can’t complain from my players today,” Koeman said. “They did everything. There are situations in our ball possession that maybe we can create more but it is not so easy against Burnley. They are a defensive minded team but well organised, physical. You need to be lucky in second balls, maybe everything. The commitment and spirit of the players was really positive.”

He was asked about whether he is disappointed by performances and results considering the club’s recent outlay on players.

“It is always about the money,” Koeman continued. “It is so easy in this situation to speak about the money. We have got a lot of money and we invest some money and it is always about the difference in spending from transfers. We signed a young goalkeeper [Jordan Pickford] and he is doing well and he has improved. We signed young players and we have a lot of young players in the squad.

“Of course, we need to improve in winning games. We know that. What I do is try and get the best from the players. If there is no commitment and no aggression, that is maybe a reason to think about the future.

Jeff Hendrick secured a 1-0 victory for Burnley at Everton

“I have experience and I know if you win your life on a daily basis is different from if you lose. It is not nice to get two weeks an international break if you lose. We will continue and I will try to do my best for the job. All the stuff and the questions is not in my hands.”

Burnley’s victory on Merseyside continues their superb run away from Turf Moor this season. Prior to this win, they had beaten Chelsea on the opening day of the campaign and had since recorded draws at Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.

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