Everton’s five-game unbeaten run came to an end on Saturday afternoon as they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Southampton.
It was Southampton’s first victory of the season in the Premier League, so naturally, the pressure has ramped back up on Sean Dyche.
Everton supporters were left furious at the decision to bench Jarrad Branthwaite but Dyche insisted that Michael Keane and James Tarkowski deserved to retain their places following the decent run of form.
Orel Mangala was the only shining light against Southampton as he filled in for the injured Abdoulaye Doucoure.
The defeat leaves Everton in 16th place and still perilously close to the relegation zone ahead of their trip to West Ham United on Saturday.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 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 |
| 17 |  Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 13 | -5 | 7 |
| 18 |  IpswichIpswich | 10 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 21 | -11 | 5 |
Speaking post-match, Dyche made a very controversial statement which amplifies why he isn’t the man long-term for Everton.
Everton had just 34 percent possession against Southampton
Throughout their history, Everton fans have always warmed to an attacking brand of football, so it’s fair to say, Dyche’s defensive style does come in for criticism, at times.
When the results aren’t there, the focus begins to turn towards his pragmatic style and that was the case on Saturday.
Everton had just 34 percent of the ball against The Saints, who headed into the game rock bottom of the Premier League table.
In fact, across the whole season, Dyche’s side have averaged the lowest possession statistics in the entire division, clocking in at a worrying 38 per cent.
Dyche tried to justify worrying possession stat
Speaking post-match, The Toffees boss tried to justify the concerning statistic.
“A drive to come down here and dominate, which we have in the sense of chances,” Dyche explained.
“You don’t need to dominate these games with the ball because with all due respect to Southampton, they have a lot of the ball but I don’t think they really opened us up too much, I wasn’t really worried today about being opened up.”
Dyche continued: “I can’t honestly remember (Jordan) Pickford being stretched at all, hardly. So our shape was good, the energy was good to win the ball back and we won it in so many key spaces, my frustration is not making the most of that.”
His quotes evince that he clearly isn’t the long-term man for Everton and the Friedkin Group will be well aware of fan frustration at the style of play.
Southampton have now closed the gap to five points, which is a big worry considering the tough run of fixtures that lie ahead for Dyche’s men.
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