Sean Dyche has issued a team selection hint ahead of West Ham vs Everton after all the criticism involving Jarrad Branthwaite recently.
Everton and West Ham have a lot riding on this one. The home side’s manager is more at risk of the sack should the result go the way of the Toffees, despite the Hammers being ahead in the table.
Julen Lopetegui hasn’t enjoyed the dream start he might have wished for at West Ham, and now it appears as if the pressure is mounting.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 12 |  BrentfordBrentford | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 19 | 20 | -1 | 13 |
| 13 |  Man UtdManchester United | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 12 | -3 | 12 |
| 14 |  West HamWest Ham | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 19 | -6 | 11 |
| 15 |  LeicesterLeicester | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 18 | -4 | 10 |
| 16 |  EvertonEverton | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 17 | -7 | 9 |
Sean Dyche isn’t in the clear himself with the pressure ramping up on him from prospective new owners the Friedkin Group, with Sergio Conceicao seen as a progressive replacement.
It’s the decision not to start Jarrad Branthwaite which has made things worse for Dyche, and he’s now dropped a hint ahead of this weekend.
Sean Dyche drops team selection hint involving Jarrad Branthwaite
A shock was sent through the Everton dressing room at the weekend as Sean Dyche decided to leave out Jarrad Branthwaite from his starting lineup against Southampton.
It proved to be the wrong decision as Southampton came away with all three points at St Mary’s, and highlighted his decision even more.
Now, when speaking ahead of the West Ham clash, Dyche has answered a question on his team selection at centre-back, and it makes for interesting reading.
He said this on the Everton YouTube channel in his press conference after being asked if there was a message of play well again, you keep the shirt.
“Yeah there’s a bit of that, I mean it’s not literally but yeah, I mean I’ve always felt that you know, when I was playing I certainly you know held that in high regard. If I was playing and doing the job, then I expected to get a chance to keep playing.
“But yeah, it’s not always about that, you know, Jared’s a very good player. He knows that Keane’s done really well this season and is a very good player, as is Tarky.
“Jake’s doing great as well, so you know, a tight four there, and like I said about the center forwards if all four were fit they all push each other they all, you know, pushing each other for the shirt, and you want that internal competition.”
It could be bad news for Jarrad Branthwaite
Sean Dyche spoke out after Southampton about how untroubled Everton were on the defensive side of things, and how Jordan Pickford had nothing to do.
The only thing he was disappointed about was the lack of finishing.
When you pair this with the fact that he supports rewarding players who are already playing well in his eyes, it doesn’t look as if he’s in a rush to make a change.
He moves on to suggest that Branthwaite knows Keane is a very good player and how Tarkowski has also done really well, almost trying to support a future decision.
We know just how much Dyche loves Keane and the fact he can chuck him up top if things aren’t going well, and Tarkowski has started and played every minute this season.
Rewarding players for their performances is obviously good and everything, but the centre-back performances against Southampton were nothing to shout about. And, there was a rough patch for Keane earlier on in the season and he stuck by him, so it’s beginning to just look like favourites.
It just seems completely mind-blowing to not play your best centre-back when he’s fit, It’s like Arsenal leaving out William Saliba for Jakub Kiwior.
Receive a digest of our best Everton content each week direct to your mailbox
