Koeman relieved with timing of international break

While international breaks tend to be the bane of Premier League football, the October break is one that could not have come too soon for Everton manager Ronald Koeman.

The Blues have continued to struggle despite the fixture list getting much easier and the calls for the Dutchman to be sacked have grown louder, reaching a crescendo after the Toffees slipped to a home defeat against Burnley.

Speaking to evertontv from Finch Farm where just a handful of players remain with the rest away on national team duty, Koeman said -

“It is all about the situation the team is in. Maybe, sometimes, it is good for everyone to freshen up.

“Sometimes if you have a defeat and don’t have the players to train it is more frustrating. It is all about the result at the weekend.

"Of course, you like to work with the players every day to improve the team, but maybe in this situation it is good to have the break.

“It is all about the game in two weeks now and that is what we need to prepare for.”

While most of his key players are not going to get a break as they feature in games this weekend, this is also a good chance for Koeman to think long and hard about his formation and player selection choices. The Blues have looked dull and uninspired and if the manager doesn’t change anything soon he’s going to find himself with no team to manage when the next international break rolls around in just over a month.