Everton’s recent perils have made for a torrid time for the fanbase, but in a strange way, have helped outline who is up for the fight and who is in it for a quick payday.
It always felt like one day Sean Dyche might manage the club, after years of speculation, with it only taking their near-complete capitulation for Farhad Moshiri to fulfil that destiny.
And now, he is thriving, just as many predicted he would.
Overseeing a club built on hard-working principles, the 52-year-old came fresh from his stint in Burnley in which he had performed miracles using a similar philosophy.
His alignment with the Toffees was seamless, and his cut-throat attitude proved useful in establishing a squad now finally battling for the badge.
At last the media seems to be starting to pick up on that success, with Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards offering their views whilst speaking on The Rest is Football podcast.
The former would open the conversation whilst noting: ‘Everton are on a roll – looking promising, isn’t it? It’s his own style. Tough to beat, getting the ball forward.’ Shearer and his other co-host Richards agreed: ‘Got them playing, he has,’ said the former, while the latter explained: ‘We expected this though, didn’t we? When he regrouped and got all of the players back.’
Lineker would reply: ‘Well you know he knows what he’s doing, he’s a trusted pair of hands at the helm there. I always like his interviews,’
Shearer then continued: ‘He’s been there before, nothing panics him and when it’s not going well he was still calm, telling everyone else to relax.
‘Given the situation Everton Football Club are in and have been for a while, he’s the perfect man to have in there. He just calms everything and he’s got them playing. As you [Lineker] said they’re tough to beat, very direct, but they’re also playing some decent football. It was another good result for them.’
How has Sean Dyche improved Everton?
Dyche was intelligent when he made his move to Merseyside, quickly pushing aside his long-term ambitions to secure immediate safety.
Whilst it was a nervy end to the campaign, he reached that goal.
The tactician was then given the summer to implement the plans that would help earn the club steady progress, which they have since begun to show exceptionally.
Building a solid defensive foundation was first on the manager’s agenda, which he has seemingly achieved with James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite.
The Toffees have gone from conceding 57 goals last season in the Premier League to just 17 after 12 games this term. Should they maintain that trend they will finish having shipped four fewer goals at the end of the campaign, which could still improve given they have conceded three in their last four games.
With that in place, Dyche could then go about constructing an offence capable of causing most sides a problem, with a counter-attacking plan that has worked well thus far.
In fact, their expected goals tally of 20.80 is only bettered by nine teams in the division, whereas last season they were the second-lowest scorers in the league.
His impact has been outstanding, and their progress meteoric. Should they maintain their upward trajectory, the possibility of relegation will swiftly become a forgotten memory.
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