Sean Dyche squad tweak has transformed Everton as ‘simple’ claim emerges

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It is impossible, as an Everton fan, to not feel exceptionally surprised by the vast turnaround enjoyed by their side.

After all, having suffered through two years of gruelling relegation battles, in which they came so close to losing their coveted top-flight status, it marks a welcome change to see them marooned safely in mid-table, eight points clear of the drop.

Many are rushing to laud Sean Dyche, as the man to have worked such miracles at Goodison Park, and rightly so.

However, it is worth noting that the crop of players he inherited should never have been fighting for survival anyway, and his work in merely restoring confidence and instilling a simple system that works effectively was one which the likes of Rafa Benitez and Frank Lampard should have been able to do.

In the end, only the 52-year-old had the intelligence and the humility to do so, and for that he deserves to reap the rewards.

Former Toffees defender turned pundit Ashley Williams sought to detail the basic changes the former Burnley boss has made on Merseyside, which have aided their renaissance.

Speaking on BBC’s Match of the Day, the Welshman noted: ‘I think today you saw an Everton team that knew exactly what they were supposed to be doing. I think they’ve got clear, simple instructions, and now we’re seeing it come out.

‘He’s got the players in the correct positions, Doucoure playing off the striker, that’s a great ball back into Idrissa Gueye and that’s a good goal, but I think what allows them to do that is the consistency in the team selection.

‘The way that they’re playing, the things that he’s been asking for for a while you’re now seeing this in his team, which is hard-working, tough to beat, now they’ve got the width as well to add to that and they’ve taken the chances when they’ve got them.’

Has Sean Dyche made Everton better?

When Dyche joined Everton, the club sat joint-bottom of the league, having scored just 15 goals yet conceded 32 from their 21 Premier League games at that point.

Achieving safety was the aim at any cost, and by the skin of his teeth, he reached that goal.

Now, given he has had the summer to instil his philosophy into the squad, it is clear to see where those changes have come into effect.

After all, from the 12 league games they have now played, his team have managed an expected goals tally of 20.80, whilst conceding just 17.

At last the Toffees are hard to beat, and as such the defensive foundation built allows for their attacking game plan to work too. It seems that, even if they are dealt the 12-point penalty that is being touted, it might not be enough to relegate the stubborn outfit.

Frustrating their opposition with consistently resolute showings, they will throw more and more bodies forward to try and overpower the backline. When that fails, the pace of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Jack Harrison, Dwight McNeil and Abdoulaye Doucoure then proves deadly.

His changes have been simple, but devastatingly effective. Should they maintain their current form, who knows how high they might fly this season.