For Everton fans, question marks are already being raised over Sean Dyche’s shortcomings at this early stage, and it’s understandable. Winless, no points, and perhaps most worryingly, 13 goals conceded. A sword that doesn’t cut is just a piece of metal is a saying that comes to mind when a Dyche team starts leaking goals. While calls for Dyche to be given his marching orders are surely premature, some of his decisions are maddening.
In the 2023-24 season, it took Everton until their 5th game to pick up a win. It must be said, they have faced stiffer tests this time around, with tough fixtures against Brighton, Spurs, and Villa – always challenging opponents for Everton in their current state. This time last year, Evertonians were rolling their eyes, thinking, Here we go again. 12 months later, it’s the same story.
Misery and misfortune are here today for Evertonians, but I’m confident they’ll be gone tomorrow. After their awful start last year, they went on to pick up impressive form, winning four games on the bounce in December. That run helped them climb resiliently up the table after their points deduction, serving as proof that this group of players can perform at this level.
A big part of that positive form was the individual performances of Jarrad Branthwaite, who was outstanding for Everton last season. Composed, quick, and aggressive, his partnership with James Tarkowski flew well under the radar. His injury is hurting Everton badly at present, and it will continue to do so. Compare his presence with the jittery, panicked, and frankly hopeless performances of Michael Keane, then Everton’s form begins to make sense. Since August 2022, Everton have won only three Premier League games in which Keane has started. This is where the real frustrations lie.
Everton signed a £17 million centre-half from Lyon this summer. The 23-year-old Jake O’Brien has bags of potential and featured prominently for a strong Lyon side in the 2023/24 campaign. He’s the ideal player for Dyche, and Toffees fans must be screaming inside, questioning why he hasn’t been given a chance ahead of Keane. If you do what you’ve always done, you get what you’ve always got – Michael Keane is not going to change, so surely the new signing is worth a go?
Dyche might cite protecting the player and preparing O’Brien for Premier League football, but that’s a nonsense excuse. Granted, we don’t see performances in training, but in these circumstances, the excuse for not starting players must be beyond frustrating. If O’Brien isn’t better than Keane, then why on earth did they buy him? Not to mention, leaving the new signing on the bench only adds pressure on him to perform when he eventually does get a run in the team.
New signing Iliman Ndiaye has already demonstrated that players need the freedom to play. He started Everton’s first two matches on the bench, but after a good performance against Doncaster in the cup, he’s arguably been the only shining light for the team. If only Dyche would learn a lesson from this.
Ultimately, as frustrating as it is, this kind of pragmatism is what Everton will hope Dyche can instil into the team to save them from another relegation scrap. However, modernising his attitude towards embedding new players could be a good way to show Evertonians that he is prepared to change his ways and take the risks necessary to help the team.
HJC Journalism 