Sean Dyche said he was surprised by the nature of Everton’s heavy defeat to Aston Villa, admitting that he thought he and his staff had largely eradicated the kind of psychological collapses that had been too common over the past couple of seasons.
The Blues lost 4-0 at Villa Park and sit bottom of the Premier League after the opening two games of the season without a goal or a point to their name.
It has signalled early alarm among supporters still mentally scarred by last season’s battle against relegation that went right to the wire, with the horrendous defensive performance the most worrying aspect, particularly as the focus of the club’s summer transfer business has been on the attack.
Dyche lost Dominic Calvert-Lewin to a facial fracture after 38 minutes and then Alex Iwobi to a hamstring injury early in the second half but Arnaut Danjuma provided welcome impetus in the final third after coming on a substitute, leaving the rearguard as the most concerning aspect.
“We were a long way off after playing very well last weekend. That was a surprise,” Dyche said after a result that equalled the worst reverse of his tenure so far, the 4-0 defeat at Arsenal in March.
“We conceded a goal and then the group go soft very quickly. Then you concede another one and it’s like everyone is looking at everyone else to do something. We had a couple of moments like that after I got here last season but generally, we stopped that feeling.
“It looked too lackadaisical, people waiting for others to ignite. The body language and intent in and out of possession just weren’t there. Simple as that.”
James Tarkowski was even more blunt, admitting that the Blues simply capitulated.
“I saw poor body language,” the skipper said. “I don’t think it was lack of effort, as such. Maybe just poor discipline in our shape and we just got opened up and then every goal, for me, is awful.”