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Everton's Leighton Baines lifts lid on life under Ronald Koeman
Exclusive: Everton full-back discusses training sessions, team unity and a "healthy respect" for the new boss
Everton's Leighton Baines has been impressed by Ronald Koeman
Leighton Baines has revealed the inner workings of the new-look
Everton under Ronald Koeman.
The Blues left-back has praised the Dutch manager’s “organised” training sessions, says he is promoting a new team unity and has welcomed the high standards he demands.
Baines believes Koeman carries a “healthy respect” amongst the Blues squad and says he was not surprised to see the boss act so decisively at West Brom last weekend in changing formation before half-time.
The 31-year-old is expected to return to the starting line-up for the visit of Stoke City after sitting out the win over Yeovil Town in midweek and Baines has been reinvigorated by Koeman’s arrival at Goodison.
“The sessions have been really good,” Baines told the ECHO.
“The manager doesn’t seem to be trying to complicate things when it’s not necessary.
“The messages are very clear and easy to understand. The sessions work on that basis and it means that they flow quite well.
“There are certain minimum requirements that you have to bring on a daily basis and if he doesn’t see it, he is going to tell you.
Leighton Baines
“But there are just the things you would expect your boss to pull you up on.”
Is there a fear factor with Koeman?
“That is probably down to the individual player, and how they feel,” he said.
“A young player might be a bit more intimidated but there is definitely that healthy level of respect of respecting that he’s the boss, a figure of authority and he seems very straight, honest and just what you expect the boss to be like.”
Following last weekend’s comeback win at the Hawthorns Koeman praised Everton’s “team spirit”.
And Baines says it is clear that Koeman places great value in a strong bond between the players.
“It’s important in any team sport,” he said.
Everton manager Ronald Koeman
“It’s important in football to have that togetherness, team spirit and it is something now we are back to having.
“It’s something the manager is promoting.
“It wasn’t something that was asked, maybe you assume that it should be there, but it is important to the manager that we have that spirit and we show it and we have the character and
the fight to stand up to tests like we had last weekend when they are lumping everyone forward and there are balls being put into the box.”
So what has the manager done to promote that?
“Just generally, the way he works, promotes that,” Baines added.
“Everything is very organised and we do more things as a whole group now.
“Less stuff is just left down to the individual to take care of themselves, whether that be stuff we do before training.
“Certain individuals would prepare themselves before training but now we do everything together as a group and gym sessions were just down to the individuals, if you were someone who wanted to do gym work you could, but now we have group sessions.
Leighton Baines puts in the work in the gym during pre-season
“We might be in small groups within the gym but we are all in there together and, as I say, everything is very organised.
“It’s not like ‘get in fours for this set of exercises’ it’s ‘this is your four’.
“It is something, from a player’s point of view, that might go a little bit unnoticed but I do feel it is a little bit of a more subtle, but deliberate, way of having that togetherness.”
Koeman’s blunt nature, uncompromising approach and honest assessment of performances have been a refreshing change for Everton’s supporters.
Baines says he is simply asking the Blues squad to be “good professionals”.
“I don’t know if I would say he is strict, because in my opinion it is all very reasonable,” he said.
“We are just asked to be good professionals.
“It’s not too much to ask. I don’t find - and I’m sure it’s the same for a lot of the other players - that much has changed.
Leighton Baines
“Maybe we are here for a little bit longer, in terms of the times you have to be here, but most of us would have been in earlier than we had to be and stayed later than we had to.
“We have lunch a little bit later, it kind of promotes the idea that you have to be in the building a little bit longer but for the majority of people, that was how they managed their career because they wanted the best for themselves anyway.
“As I say, I would lean more towards saying he is very professional and just expects that from the players.”
Koeman reinforced why Everton pursued him this summer when he made a crucial tactical change in the first-half at the Hawthorns las weekend.
On 37 minutes, and with the Blues trailing 1-0, Koeman brought off James McCarthy, replaced him with Romelu Lukaku and switched formations.
“It wasn’t surprising, Baines reflects.
“Making a change like that, there would be a lot of people who would wait until half-time.
Everton's Gareth Barry (left) celebrates with team-mate Romelu Lukaku after he scores his sides second goal at The Hawthorns.
“But in the brief time we’ve worked with him, it hasn’t surprised me that he sees something and takes action on it.”
“We changed shape a couple of times at the weekend and it is that decisiveness, seeing something and making the decision and acting on it,” he added.
“The change of shape helped us and also the substitutes, the personnel, the changes were good and helped us as well.
“They’re the decisions a manager has to make. You are putting a bit of faith in the individuals as well because you can’t control how well they are going to perform when they get on the pitch, but he made the right calls in the end to get us the result.”
Baines endured a frustrating start to last season after requiring back-to-back operations on his ankle.
But the England international has looked backed to his best in recent weeks.
“It’s the best I’ve felt for quite a while and feeling the benefits of the work we are doing here as well,” he said.
Leighton Baines has looked back to his best so far this season
“We are still working, as the manager mentioned, on getting fitter. We are probably already fitter than we were but getting to his expected levels.”
What did you make of his assertion that the squad were only 70% on the eve of the new season?
“They are his standards, Baines said.
“He’s got high standards and we know where the barometer is set and it’s clear.
“It was something he made us aware of. As individuals, he was happier with some of us more than others, but everyone is working towards that because, at the end of the day, we all want to be as fit as we can and he would’ve liked us back a bit earlier.
“But ultimately we’ve kept the work on during the season with double sessions and it is just keeping that nice balance between knowing that he wants to get us fitter but also keeping us fresh, it’s a tough job sometimes for a manager.”
