Sean Dyche could break golden rule as gigantic Everton change clear
Our regular Everton fan jury talk at length about the issues of the week at Goodison Park
Everton continued their mini-revival after a deserved 2-1 Carabao Cup win at Aston Villa on Wednesday night.
Just days after collecting their first three points of the season against Brentford, Sean Dyche’s side backed up the victory over the Bees with a fine performance at Villa Park. The Blues will now face Burnley in the last-16.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who was jeered off by his own fans in the 4-0 thrashing against Unai Emery’s side in August, scored his side’s second after James Garner fired the Blues ahead. Substitute Boubacar Kamara netted a late consolation for the hosts.
And, after an eventual few days for their club, our Everton jury have had their say…
Alex McMonnies – So this is what winning feels like!
In the past week, Everton have won two consecutive matches away from home. To put that into perspective, the last time they managed that, Jordan Pickford was the opposition goalkeeper for the second victory, a 3-0 drubbing of Sunderland courtesy of a Romelu Lukaku hat-trick.
Something seems to have clicked for the Toffees, and they appear to be playing with a confidence that has been absent from any Everton side for a while. They are pressing high, winning tackles, and, most importantly, finally starting to take their chances. In contrast to the first two home matches of the season, in which they fell well short of their xG, they managed to outperform that start against both Brentford and Aston Villa.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has returned to the fold with a bang, finding the net in both victories and issuing a painful reminder of just what the Blues have been missing out on these past two seasons: that he’s struggled with fitness. James Garner has also started to win a lot of plaudits, playing superbly in West London before scoring his first goal for the club, as well as completing six tackles at Villa Park.
One could argue that this is the universe righting itself after the frustration of the first few matches of the campaign, in which the Toffees were left with far fewer points than they deserved. Whatever it is, there is now unquestionably a palpable sense of optimism at Goodison Park, and that will only continue going into their next game.
Luton Town at home is arguably the easiest league fixture Everton are going to have all season, so it’s imperative that they capitalise on that fact and make it three wins in a row. The Hatters have shown little sign that they have enough in them to stay up this season, but they will be yearning to pick up their first three points of the season on Saturday.
However, Sean Dyche’s side have got the bit between their teeth now, and most Evertonians would give anything for a routine win on Saturday.
Luke Davies – A great decision by Dyche
Well, last Saturday was a welcome surprise, wasn’t it? I hold my hands up and admit Sean Dyche may have better tactical knowledge than myself. I am quick to criticise the manager, so in this instance, I will compliment his team selection, making a bold decision when leaving out Arnaut Danjuma.
However, the man who replaced him, James Garner, provided an inch-perfect pass, setting up Dominic Calvert-Lewin to go through on goal, who finished with aplomb. It was a great decision by Dyche to back himself rather than listen to outside noise from supporters.
In terms of individual praise, it is hard to pick just one player after such an emphatic away win, although two standouts for me were the assured presence of Jarred Branthwaite, who commanded the defence alongside James Tarkowski. Another great performance came from Amadou Onana, who bossed the game and did everything correctly that was asked of him, a player I always watch, leaving me wanting more – not the case last weekend.
Moving forward, it would be hard to change a winning side, with the only alteration possibly coming in the final third. I am excited by the prospect of both Beto and Calvert-Lewin leading the line, but I still believe that is highly unlikely. To add, keeping the same starting 11 would be fine with me. Why change up a winning side, especially after their first league win of the season?
To add to the positivity, the win at Villa Park is another huge confidence boost for the Toffees. I am looking forward to the Luton game; surely it will be a comfortable home victory, hopefully with a few goals?
