In September, I did an article called The Three Trials of Sean Dyche, which basically said that the key to developing the side was:
- Developing the full-back play (and forming partnerships on the flanks between wide midfielders and full-backs).
- Get Onana and Garner playing together as a midfield partnership.
- Figure out who plays as the Number 10 in our 4-5-1 / 4-4-1-1 / 4-3-3 (-ish) formation.
I’m pleased to say that significant progress has been made on all of this. As things stand, Dyche has taken a rock-bottom relegation club with no money and turned it into about the 11th(-ish) best side in the Premier League.
Mykolenko in particular is a consistent top performer (albeit not a creative attacking force like Baines or Digne). Patterson looks close to becoming a good player and hopefully nails down that right-back slot very soon.
Onana and Garner are playing together at least – which they weren’t at the start of the season (although more of this below).
Doucouré has become our clear Number 10 and a return of 6 goals in 17 games makes him the highest-scoring midfielder of his type in Europe’s top 5 leagues. Only Jude Bellingham and Cole Palmer have scored more from a remotely similar-ish position this season and both have a very different defensive role in their respective teams.
So, I would say that Dyche has approached his three trials well – to the point where we now have a different (or varied) set of objectives for the rest of the season. If he can rise to these further challenges, then – without the points deduction – we’d be pushing the likes of Brighton and West Ham for European spots.
To me, the objectives are:
More goals from the centre-forward position
Just 3 goals in 16 games from Dominic Calvert-Lewin isn’t really good enough and you can see his finishing is that of a player reduced in confidence and / or trying too hard. This is a common problem for Everton forwards over the years who are often starved of service and isolated in a very defensive 4-5-1.
To bring his goal tally up, he needs to return to being a penalty-box striker as he was under Ancelotti. Back then, we had Richarlison, Rodriquez, Bernard, Sigurdsson, Iwobi, Walcott, Gomes, Digne and a younger Coleman. Calvert-Lewin didn’t need to run the channels so unselfishly in this set-up. The chances presented to him were the sort of chances he’s good at converting (compared to the chance he got at Palace, running into the box before a really awful attempt at a finish).
Somehow, Dyche needs to find a way to vary the attack so that Calvert-Lewin isn’t just being used as the battering ram and runner of channels to create space for Doucouré. It might come if the midfield (see below) can get a grip on a game and work better crossing opportunities for the likes of Harrison, McNeil and the full-backs – especially Patterson who shows a lot of promise in this area.
Better use of the ball in central midfield
The midfield partnership of Onana and Garner has a lot of potential but seems unable to really get a grip and control games – even against mediocre opposition. Again, this is a long-standing Everton problem. The focus is on defensive shape and stopping the opposition, rather than working the ball.
However, when we calm down we can look good – for example, the Beto goal against Newcastle showed we can retain possession, keep probing, and then work an opportunity. We need much more of that and more consistency too.
At the moment, we’re going too long and too aimless too often. I appreciate that it’s a safety-first approach and has probably avoided us giving up the soft goals you see week-in & week-out where keepers and defenders get caught by a high press – but, even so, there’s a balance to be struck.
Dyche needs to find a way to use the ball much better when in possession – especially from the central midfield players, without weakening our very good defensive shape.
Bigger contributions from the 2nd string
Apart from right-back, the first XI now probably picks itself when everyone is fit (a huge leap forward in and of itself compared with recent seasons of sheer chaos). And hopefully Patterson cements the right-back spot too before long.
However, as we’ve seen sometimes, the set-up just doesn’t work – for example, we look much less like scoring without Doucouré. And we may look even more toothless without McNeil.
Although they are hit and miss, Beto, Danjuma, and even Dobbin all have something to offer. Indeed, the three of them together in a 4-3-3 would give us a much faster, more mobile front three. In that set-up, we wouldn’t need a Number 10. Like Liverpool who use a similar-ish forward line, we would just need three runners or sitters in midfield to allow the front 3 to stay further up the pitch together.
Whilst I don’t think that should be Plan A, I do think it’s worth deploying that (or some variation) as a Plan B. Dyche needs to figure out how to get the most out of these players. The goal contribution from these players may well be critical.