Prior to the arrival of Sean Dyche in February, Everton had picked up just one league win all season, losing eight and drawing two in the process.
Here, Joe Leggett analyses how Everton have given themselves a fighting chance of Premier League survival after Monday's impressive away win at Brighton & Hove Albion.
Spineless, To be quite Frank.
Everton looked completely aimless under previous coach Frank Lampard. Worried Evertonians week in, week out would see a team with no spine and most notably, no plan.
Lampard’s tenure as Everton manager was epitomised in a week’s worth of games, which saw his team face then-strugglers Bournemouth twice – in the EFL Cup and in the Premier League.
Everton lost both games, first 4-1 and then days later 3-0. At the time Bournemouth looked relegation certs and somehow managed to ship seven goals, and replying with just one of their own.
This was an embarrassment to the club and to its fans, who have followed in their numbers remarkably even through those torrid times. Many will wonder how the former Chelsea star survived in his role after that – particularly with an enforced World Cup break inbound.
He would remain in post for a further five games, which included four league ties and an FA Cup game against Manchester United. Everton picked up a single point from those games, remarkably drawing at the Etihad after being bailed out by a Demarai Gray screamer.
The Toffees crashed out of the FA Cup at the hands of the Red Devils, losing 3-1. To Lampard’s credit, nobody could have expected much more from said fixture, though they could have from the two following it.
In January, Everton faced two relegation rivals in Southampton and West Ham. Both teams were in as dire a state as the Blues were. Saints’ boss Nathan Jones was beginning to see pressure mount on top of him as they started to look doomed in terms of their chances of Premier League survival.
Everton lost the game 2-1 at Goodison Park. It’s also important to note that the Toffees went into half-time of that game 1-0 up after Amadou Onana opened the scoring. Unacceptable. Again, many were rightfully calling for his head in the build-up to the huge game against the Hammers.
Make no mistake, West Ham were in danger. A vocal part of their fanbase wanted David Moyes out and they had lost to fellow endangered club Wolves. Everton were defeated 2-0. Then, it was finally enough for Lampard to be relieved of his duties.
Why Dyche?
Sean Dyche was a candidate that many turned their noses up at and many were apprehensive based on his perceived style of football, as well as his troubled time at Burnley last season.
Why hire a manager whose last job was relegating another team from the Premier League? Good question. One that has an answer which needs contextualisation.
Dyche spent the best part of a decade as Burnley manager. In that time, he took the Clarets into Europe and kept a team with a low-end Championship budget in the Premier League for six consecutive seasons.
He moulded his team to be effective in a harsh climate. The Premier League was growing further and further towards high-possession, volume passers – a movement spearheaded by revolutionary coach Pep Guardiola.
The other avenue was perfecting the art of pressing, done brilliantly for years by Jurgen Klopp.
Dyche wanted to be the antithesis of these sorts of teams. He has recorded many shock results in his time as Burnley coach including ending the latter’s 68-game unbeaten run at home when Ashley Barnes scored the only goal in Burnley’s 1-0 victory over Liverpool.
This victory was no fluke. He set his team up to stop Liverpool doing what made them so good. He told The Coaches’ Voice via YouTube of how he wanted to “make the game feel different” for the Reds, and to force them to play the ball long – into Burnley’s hands.
He boasted two aerially dominant centre-halves in Ben Mee and James Tarkowski, with the latter of course now on Everton’s books and performing brilliantly under Dyche.
He put an emphasis on crunching the pitch and making scenarios where second balls would be there to be won by his physical players.
Fast forward to present day – we saw an awful lot of this in Everton's win against high-flying Brighton. The Blues this week shocked everyone watching, putting five goals past a brilliant Brighton side, away from home. All things said and done, the Toffees should probably have scored 3 or 4 more.
Given all the possession that the Seagulls had, they made very few clear-cut chances and were very fortunate they managed to score a goal. Skipper Jordan Pickford again produced a world-class performance, but his team never looked like they wouldn’t be taking all three points back to Merseyside.
Another former Claret in the Everton ranks is Dwight McNeil, who has been a man possessed back under the tutelage of his former boss. He registered an assist against Brighton for Abdoulaye Doucoure’s sublime second goal and then grabbed two special goals for himself.
He put the Blues 4-0 when he rounded the Brighton ‘keeper and established centre-half Lewis Dunk before celebrating before even putting the ball in the back of the net. The composure he demonstrated was remarkable.
The same can be said for his second, and Everton’s fifth. The counterattacking displayed by him and his teammates was brilliant. He was slotted in behind late on and rifled a shot past Jason Steele in the 96th minute.
When looking at Dyche’s influence on this Everton team, the player who best shows his impact is Doucoure. The Malian midfielder wasn’t preferred by Lampard and didn’t register a single goal under his regime.
Individual and Collective Improvement
Since Sean Dyche took over, Doucoure has started every game he has been available for and has scored a vital four goals. He is playing a very selfless role in which he is running his socks off out-of-possession and making gut-busting runs up the pitch when a counter-attack is initiated.
He is extremely influential in the way Dyche wants to set up. He is pivotal to crunching the pitch and forcing the opponents out wide.
This was seen most prominently so far in the Brighton victory. On likely a dozen occasions in the first half Kaoru Mitoma found himself one-on-one against Nathan Patterson. Some may think this meant imminent danger for Everton but it was exactly what Dyche wanted.
Brighton found that they weren't getting any joy from this wing and in the second-half introduced in-form Solly March on the other wing. Vitalii Mykolenko was now being challenged repeatedly and did fairly well.
He appreciated how good Brighton were with the ball and at picking out passes and cutting through teams. So, he packed the midfield within the width of the 18-yard box and forced Brighton out wide, potentially forcing them to cross the ball where Tarkowski and the brilliant Yerry Mina were waiting.
Should Brighton try to force their way through the middle, on most occasions either James Garner or Idrissa Gana Gueye would poke the ball out from under them and the counter was on. This was what lead to all five goals – and should have been more.
This sort of performance was like Dyche's first game and subsequent win for Everton, at home to then-Premier League leaders Arsenal. His side soaked up all the pressure, stopping the Gunners from playing their way and scored the only goal of the game on the hour mark from a corner, with Tarkowski heading home.
Similar could be said for the Toffees’ victory over Brentford a few weeks thereafter, winning 1-0 against the impressive and effective Bees, who boasted the lion's share of possession at 67 per cent. Dyche isn’t concerned about having the ball – so long as his team are effective when they have it.
Sean Dyche was dealt a tough hand when he accepted the Everton job. He has the same subpar side that Lampard failed so miserably with. He has been without striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin until just a fortnight ago.
More or less every player was underperforming when he arrived and he has gotten the best out of just about everyone who was struggling. He has created a system which plays to his squad’s strengths.
He has all the players putting their bodies and hearts on the line for the club, there is no giving in. There is no question regarding their commitment to the cause.
The season is far from over and the Blues have three cup finals left to play to secure Premier League status for next season, which is massive for the supporters given it is the last full season where home fixtures will take place at the Old Lady, Goodison Park.
It is no doubt in Everton’s hands now. A tough game against Manchester City – possibly the best team in the world awaits the Blues. Dyche will do all he can to give his players a fighting chance – that is his guarantee.