Everton are a side completely devoid of confidence at the moment, and with good reason given how their season has gone thus far.
Losing their opening four Premier League fixtures would be bad enough, but having since been dumped out of the Carabao Cup by Southampton, the only other side to match their abysmal league record, an inquest has begun around Goodison Park.
Sean Dyche is on thin ice at Everton, and with a favourable run of fixtures on paper inbound, he has to start picking up some wins.
However, he will surely have learnt plenty from last night’s miserable penalty shootout defeat, both tactically and regarding some of the personnel.
One man who unfortunately proved himself unfit to start just yet was Jesper Lindstrom.
Jesper Lindstrom is a man devoid of confidence
It’s a testament to how poor he played last night that Lindstrom took to Instagram to apologise to Everton fans for his display.
Missing two golden chances, clean through on goal on both occasions, the Danish international squandered them with minimal fuss.
Were it not for his profligacy, the Toffees would likeyl be in the next round of the cup, but few can blame him for being so short of confidence.
After all, his big move to Napoli in 2023 went about as bad as it possibly could have gone, with the new boss not favouring the wide man and reducing him to just two Serie A starts.
Now joining a truly terrible Everton side in their own disarray, he is right to have no confidence.
That was frustratingly shown again in the 76th minute, when once again a neat flick saw him tearing in behind the Southampton defence.
Seemingly set to have his third one-on-one in just one game, he completely overthought the situation, dawdled in possession, and allowed time for all the defenders to catch him up.
In the end, a once-promising attack devolved into safe possession on the halfway line. Lindstrom is severely lacking in confidence.
Is Sean Dyche the man to unlock Jesper Lindstrom at Everton?
It’s therefore understandable why Sean Dyche has opted not to start him in the Premier League just yet, building up not only his match fitness but his comfortability in his new surroundings.
However, it’s worth debating whether the former Burnley boss is the right man to get the best out of such a talented individual.
Since joining, he has struggled to get the best out of his attackers, with goalscoring an outstanding problem for his Everton.
Lindstrom, being a neat and tidy trickster with a penchant for flicks to link up the play, is perhaps an atypical Dyche winger compared to someone like Dwight McNeil, Johann Berg Gudmundsson or Aaron Lennon, to name just a few.
Therefore, perhaps we will truly see the best of Lindstrom should Dyche get sacked, with Graham Potter surely someone who would revel in moulding the magical maestro in his image.
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