This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
It has been a disappointing start to the season for Everton.
The Toffees currently sit 15th in the table after 12 games, having won just four matches so far. There was one particularly bad run, where they lost four games in a row in the Premier League and, although they have lost just once since then, they have still underwhelmed.
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That has partly been down to their problems in front of goal. Only five sides in the top tier have scored less than the Goodison Park outfit this term, which is just one of the reason why the pressure is on Marco Silva. It remains to be seen whether he can turn it around.
There are plenty of names to have been linked with a moved to the north-west should the Portuguese be relieved of his duties, with the latest being Bruno Genesio as per L’Equipe (via Sport Witness). Currently with Beijing Sinobo Guoan, he is best known for his four-year stint with Lyon, with them qualifying for the Champions League in three out of the four seasons he managed there. It was their prolific ability to score that was most noticeable from his reign.
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In the four Ligue 1 campaigns he spent at the Groupama Stadium, Lyon scored 67 goals, 77, 87 and 70. To put this into context, they have only managed to match or surpass the lowest of those four totals three times since the turn of the century outside of the 53-year-old’s time in the dugout.
Alexandre Lacazette, who now plays for Arsenal, benefited from his management – under Genesio, he had his most prolific season to date – whilst the quartet of Nabil Fekir, Bertrand Traore, Mariano Diaz and Memphis Depay bagged 84 goals and provided 38 assists between them in the 2017/18 season. Last term, six different players scored at least 10 goals for Les Gones.
Not only that, but he has a tendency to use younger players. For example, last season, the average age of the players who appeared for Lyon was 24.3. Only three teams managed lower in Ligue 1.
Just imagine what he could do with the likes of Richarlison, Alex Iwobi, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Moise Kean, all of whom are 23 or under. By focusing on their attacking strengths, Genesio could really get the best out of a forward line that has the potential to be prolific. If it was decided that Silva could not take the team any further, Genesio would be a fantastic choice to replace him.
In other news, Silva will be impressed by one man’s form on international duty.
