Philippe Senderos’ own time at Everton under David Moyes was restricted to just three matches. But the former Switzerland international defender is excited for the club’s future under the returning Blues boss.
Everton were just one point above the relegation zone when the Scot returned to the Goodison Park hotseat in January but having spent the past week at a warm weather training camp in the United Arab Emirates, they return to action at Wolverhampton Wanderers unbeaten in their last seven Premier League matches and with a 15-point cushion between themselves and the bottom three.
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Speaking courtesy of NewBettingOffers.co.uk, Senderos told the ECHO: “David Moyes knows the club inside out. He knows what the fans expect of the team.
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“A lot of managers have come in and done good things but David knows what he can get out of this set of players. They’ve had some good results lately so I’m really excited for them.
“David has come in and done a great job because he focuses on the basics and makes sure the squad works together. That’s something that hit me when I was there, I really saw a squad pulling together and that was impressive and that’s what made Everton so strong for so many years.”
Senderos, who had subsequent Premier League spells as Fulham and Aston Villa following his time on Merseyside before hanging up his boots in 2019, added: “David was definitely a good coach to work under. I’d been used to Arsenal for so many years and then Milan, but I saw a more British type of approach, or even Scottish side coming out.
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“It was fun to be part of because the squad had a lot of qualities, but they were also quite practical in the way they were doing things. David was quite fair from the get-go.
“I knew I wasn’t going to be a starter but I was arriving to try and fight for my place and try and get some minutes. It was a different mindset than at Arsenal and it allowed me to go back into the national team framework.
“I remember Everton had a lot of big players at the time such as Mikel Arteta, Phil Neville, Sylvain Distin – who was unbelievable at the time in terms of his consistency. We also had Marouane Fellaini and Tim Cahill, some really top players in every position.”
The Geneva-born player, the son of a Spanish father and Serbian mother, first came to England in 2003 when he moved from Swiss side Servette to Arsenal. Injury problems kept him out of Arsene Wenger’s ‘Invincibles’ side in his first season but having broken into the side in the following campaign, he was part of the team that defeated Manchester United on penalties in the 2005 FA Cup final.
Senderos went on to make 116 appearances for the Gunners but after spending the 2008/09 season on loan at AC Milan, he found opportunities back at Arsenal limited and sought a new challenge on Merseyside in January 2010. He said: “I was preparing for the 2010 World Cup finals with Switzerland in the summer. We were halfway through the season and for me it was important to go somewhere to give myself a chance to maybe play, or at least get around and see something else other than Arsenal because I needed a move to try and get some minutes in a different environment.
“Everton were looking for cover at centre-back as they had a couple of injuries and I had a good contact with David Moyes at the time. It went quite fast and I played in the first couple of weeks but then picked up an injury and was out of the squad for a little bit.
“I joined a very established squad, not only in the Premier League but we were playing European football and it enabled me to see a different perspective on the Premier League for the rest of my career.”
In total, Senderos’ Everton career was restricted to a 1-0 win at Wigan Athletic where he played the entire game alongside current Liverpool coach John Heitinga at centre-back, a last-minute cameo off the bench in a 2-1 victory over Chelsea – his only appearance for the club at Goodison Park – and a Europa League round of 32 tie in Lisbon against Sporting CP. Although the match remained goalless with the Blues 2-1 up on aggregate while the Swiss player was on the pitch – partnering Joseph Yobo at centre-back – he was forced off injured on 52 minutes to be replaced by Phil Jagielka, who was playing his first competitive match in 10 months, and the visitors would lose 3-0 and exit the competition.
Now 40, Senderos has no regrets about his Everton move though and enjoyed being in such a passionate football hotbed. He said: “It wasn’t such a big disappointment. I knew where I was going and I didn’t take the easy route, I wanted to go somewhere I would get challenged.
“Also, I wanted to be with a squad where I would continue to learn. I really wanted to change my mindset and I think taking on the challenge at Everton with a different manager and a new environment was something that really helped me to adapt to the next stage of my career.
“I didn’t play that much but it was part of my learning curve and I really enjoyed my time at Everton.
“In the first couple of weeks it really hit me. There is such passion with football playing such a big part of so many people’s everyday lives.
“It really was a big difference for me, but I thought that was great because it created something around the football club and you felt the passion every day at training too, so it was special.
“Everywhere I go, I’m someone who is quite curious and I like to look around but given that the passion for football is so big in Liverpool, you can’t really be anonymous, so it makes it a bit more difficult.”
A big part of the appeal for Senderos over his move to Everton was the atmosphere at Goodison Park and although he will be sad to see the back of ‘The Grand Old Lady’ he’s pleased that the Blues’ future 52,888 capacity home on the Mersey waterfront is another intimate venue to bring out the best from their supporters. He said: “Goodison Park has always been an amazing place to play football. The atmosphere generated in this stadium is really special.
“I remember the times I played there with Arsenal and we lost a couple of times but I thought it was a great environment. I love the architecture, the way it was made, it reminded me a lot of Highbury and that felt really good to play.
“We moved to the Emirates Stadium but I like the way that the new grounds now, like Everton’s new stadium, are being built. You need to have something proper for English football and something that is recognisable and also feels like a home for Everton but I think the fans will feel good in this new stadium and I think it will take the club into a different dimension.”
