Coleman Praises Ronald Koeman for Strengthening Everton Defence

Everton defender Seamus Coleman claims that manager Ronald Koeman has made the club extremely strong when it comes to defence.

The former Southampton manager took over from Roberto Martinez in the summer. Under the regime of Martinez, Everton played an attacking football and it was a hit and miss during his three years at the club. In one of the campaigns, the club came close to qualifying for the top four, while in the latter, they even struggled to make it to the top 10. Such inconsistencies were a major reason behind new Everton owners deciding to bring in Koeman.

The Dutchman has brought a defensive mentality back to Goodison Park. The club always prided themselves on keeping a clean sheet rather than scoring three goals when they were under the regime of David Moyes. The same mentality appears to be in place under Koeman. It, however, has not affected the performances of Coleman, who continues to be one of the best right backs in the division. Despite continued links with the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea, Coleman is keen on moving forward with Everton and he has spoken about how Koeman has strengthened the defence in less than 10 league matches.

“Every manager is different. Roberto played a more open game and made no secret of that.He liked his full backs getting high and unfortunately at times we conceded too many goals. This manager wants us to be solid first and then build on that with the quality attacking players.It's not a case of one being wrong and one right but we are more solid this season. Every time a manager comes in he puts a twist on things. This one is big on work-rate. He is demanding the best from us,” said the Everton defender.