Everton may be in need of a goalscorer, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin is back in training, but manager Sean Dyche insists he will not pressurise the striker back into the fold given his poor injury record.
The Everton manager said he would be governed by how Calvert-Lewin was feeling given he has been out with a hamstring problem since coming off after 62 minutes in Dyche’s first game in charge, the 1-0 win over Arsenal on February 4.
Calvert-Lewin has missed five matches and appears to have only an outside chance of featuring against Brentford at Goodison Park on Saturday. Everton are desperate for a scorer to stand up as they find themselves in a second relegation battle in as many seasons.
Everton’s miserly record in front of goal has been evident all season, with only 19 goals in 26 league games, and now face Thomas Frank’s confident side, who are currently on a 12-game unbeaten run. Nevertheless, Dyche will not rush Calvert-Lewin back into Everton’s survival bid.
“At the end of the day we can work with the medics, and we have got a fine staff here, and have all the modern use of technology as in scans and everything, but he is a human being and I believe in asking the player, ‘Right, where are you at with it?’” Dyche said.
“And usually when they feel right about it, it is a massive plus. So that is what I am looking to do. He is only just back on the grass with us, he has done real good rehab work . . . he is fit — basic fitness, you understand, not true Premier League fitness that comes with playing. He seems like he is in a healthy place at the minute.
“The next step is now layering on top of that and that’s the bit where it is now, the crossover period. We start to go, ‘Right, how are you feeling? Is your body feeling right?’”
The thinking that Calvert-Lewin returning would automatically help Everton’s cause may be unfounded, however, as the 25-year-old has made only 11 league appearance during a stop-start campaign and has only a single goal to his name, against Crystal Palace in October. During the past 18 months, he has scored just three competitive goals.
“I’ve looked at the stats, I’ve looked at the recovery periods, I’ve looked at how quickly he has gone into games, probably being desperate to play — most players are desperate to play — and sometimes they make a decision too early,” the Everton manager added.
“I’ve got to monitor that as well and learn from the past because if we do that again, and something happens again, well then you haven’t learnt anything, you haven’t done anything different, so we have got to look at that.”
Dyche calls for a 'relentless mentality'
After two wins, both at home, in Dyche’s first three games in charge, last weekend’s 2-2 draw away to Nottingham Forest is the only point Everton have secured in the three games since.
Everton led twice but were pegged back against their fellow relegation rivals and Dyche has drilled into his players the need for a “relentless mentality” as he seeks to improve their game management and ability to recognise crucial moments in matches in order to get the balance right.
“A manager’s dream; if you speak to the best managers they love a 1-0,” Dyche said. “You can never guarantee any score, the only worry about scorelines is how you are managing the game. What I do know is the relentless mentality I want from the players and we have been speaking about that with them.
"Anything is achievable at any given moment so we take on the game until the last breath. These are all learning curves. You have to remember these players are wise players, a lot of them have been in the Premier League for a long time and they know the details and that is the frustrating thing.
“You want to play and enjoy it but you know there is a professional responsibility and the players should understand that. You win because you get everything right all the way through a 90-minute match. We have never wanted pure football every time, it is ‘how many times can you affect the opposition?’.
“It is reading the game, understanding the nature of the game and game management as you mature as a player and a group. Knowing the moments when to be more attacking, that is on-pitch stuff. You can only coach so many things on the training ground.”