Everton analysis – Sean Dyche finds one solution but may have new player to drop
Everton talking points from Connor O’Neill after Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at home to Wolves in the Premier League
Sean Dyche reduced to desperate measures
Three games in, and Sean Dyche has already been reduced to desperate measures.
Speaking in the build-up to this game, the Everton manager shut down any suggestion that his club was in crisis. After this, he could be forgiven for having second thoughts.
Three games played, no points or goals scored. While the effort of Everton’s players could not be knocked here, the lack of quality, certainly in the attacking areas, is clear for all to see.
With just over an hour gone, the Everton manager turned to new signing Youssef Chermiti in a bid to swing the game in his side’s favour. Talk about being thrown in at the deep end.
But when Sasa Kalajdzic headed Wolves ahead, Dyche was left with nowhere to turn. He did make changes in a bid to try and salvage a point, but they told the story of why Everton find themselves in the position they do.
Tom Cannon was given the nod to come on, but the youngster, just like Chermiti, is lacking Premier League experience, and his future perhaps lies away, at least temporarily, from Goodison Park.
But the next person Dyche turned to spoke volumes. Michael Keane was the man chosen to go up top as his side chased the game.
This is the same Keane who was guilty of giving away two goals against Aston Villa last time out and had been dropped by Dyche for this match. But here he was up top as his side chased the game.
Such acts are normally reserved for fixtures later in the season or cup finals. But here were Everton, in just their third game of the campaign, reduced to putting a centre-back up top in a bid to salvage something from an encounter many believe they should be winning.
It was yet another clear example that attacking reinforcements cannot come in quick enough for Sean Dyche.
Sean Dyche facing Idrissa Gueye midfield decision
There were less than five minutes on the clock when Idrissa Gueye first gave the ball away.
Just inside his own half, it was the first of many sloppy passes he made during the opening 45 minutes. The groans inside Goodison told the story.
Unfortunately, from that moment on, things did not get much better for the Senegal international, who, not for the first time since his return to the club last summer, endured an afternoon to forget.
Gueye was the man sacrificed for an abject 45 minutes against Aston Villa last week, but in truth, and as Sean Dyche said himself after the 4-0 defeat at Villa Park, any member of his side could have been replaced.
But the big problem for Gueye is that his struggles seem to be occurring on an almost weekly basis at the moment.
When it comes to midfielders, it is one area that Everton are well stocked in. So much so that Tom Davies rejected the offer of a new contract during the summer in a bid to secure first-team football elsewhere.
But none of the midfielders Dyche currently has at his disposal play the role Gueye does. For example, James Garner, Amadou Onana and Abdoulaye Doucoure are all much better served playing higher up the pitch.
Which leaves Dyche with a huge conundrum. Does he move one of Garner, Onana or Doucoure back in front of the back four or stick with Gueye, knowing that he is comfortable there and that he will get much more out of the other three if they play in their preferred roles?
It is a huge decision that the Blues boss must make, but you can’t help but think that Gueye is about to make the call for Dyche himself, and we could soon have a new-look Everton midfield.
Jarrad Branthwaite question answered
He has been the name on the lips of supporters all week.
Ever since Michael Keane was guilty of allowing Leon Bailey to score for Aston Villa during the second half of last Sunday’s defeat, Everton supporters have been calling for Jarrad Branthwaite to be given a chance.
However, it remained to be seen heading into this game whether Sean Dyche would look to freshen things up or give those who were part of the hammering at Villa Park the chance to redeem themselves.
Dyche, however, had clearly seen enough in the Midlands and opted to do what supporters had been hoping he would do: make changes. In the end, he made three, with one of them being Branthwaite coming in for Keane.
And the young centre-back certainly took his chance to impress. He was composed on the ball and never put a foot wrong from a defensive point of view.
Of course, there were uncomfortable moments throughout the 90 minutes. But when aren’t there hairy moments when it comes to Everton? Nothing is ever simple.
It was clear from this display just why PSV were so keen to sign the young defender on a permanent basis during the summer. When it comes to Keane, it always feels like there is tension and nervousness around him, and that is not all his fault; it is just how things have unfortunately panned out for him over the past couple of years.
But with Branthwaite here, he seemed to be a lot more relaxed, and with that, supporters seemed more calm too. The way he chased after Pedro Neto before pushing him off the ball and playing it to Garner was the sort of play you see from the very best.
Branthwaite still has a long way to go in terms of his development before he gets to the top, but the evidence here suggests he has the ability to do so. He certainly sent the perfect message to his boss.
