Gabby Agbonlahor does not believe Sean Dyche should be blamed for Everton’s recent struggles.
Sean Dyche has overseen a poor start to the Premier League season at Everton. The Toffees have lost both of their games so far, in matches that have exposed their faults at both ends of the pitch.
On the opening day, Everton were beaten 1-0 by Fulham at Goodison Park. On that occasion, Everton created plenty of chances, but not for the first time, their finishing let them down.
Against Aston Villa, however, Dyche saw his side dispatched in a 4-0 defeat. The Merseyside club were woeful at the back that day.
The pressure on Dyche, who earns £96,000-a-week, will increase rapidly if results and performances don’t improve soon. More business also needs to be done in the transfer market, as the Everton squad still lacks firepower and adequate strength in depth.
Agbonlahor on the side of Dyche
Given how close the club came to relegation last season, it will be incredibly disappointing for Everton fans to see how little progress has seemingly been made in the interim period.
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However, according ex-Aston Villa striker and pundit Gabby Agbonlahor, the blame for the current state of affairs at Everton shouldn’t be laid at Dyche’s door.
Speaking on TalkSport, Agbonlahor said, “you could bring any manager into Everton and they would have similar problems…what he’s got at his disposal at Everton, Sean Dyche, he’s bound to struggle…I think it’s harsh to judge Sean Dyche.”
Whilst it’s true that many of Everton’s issues pre-date Dyche’s appointment by some time, the manager has failed to get the best out of many of the players at his disposal. Certainly, he will have been expected to have whipped his defence into better shape in pre-season than they have exhibited in the last couple of games.
The issue the Everton hierarchy face now is that they have few unexplored alternatives left. Dyche is an expert in making teams solid and hard to beat. The perfect man to bring in to navigate a side through tough times. If even he can’t arrest the decline on Merseyside, then the question of who can is a concerning one for the club to have to consider.