Everton lost 1-0 at Southampton on Saturday afternoon, ending their five-game winning streak.
Since it was Southampton’s first Premier League win of the season, Sean Dyche has naturally been under more pressure.
The decision to bench Jarrad Branthwaite infuriated Everton supporters, but Dyche maintained that James Tarkowski and Michael Keane should have been kept in their positions because of their strong recent performances.
Orel Mangala, who replaced the injured Abdoulaye Doucoure, was Southampton’s lone bright spot.
Ahead of their trip to West Ham United on Saturday, the loss puts Everton in 16th place and dangerously close to the relegation zone.
Position, Team, Win, Draw, Lose, Against Difference Points 14
West Ham 10, 3, 2, 5, 13, 19, 6, 11, 15
Leicester 10, 2, 4, 14, 18, -4, 10 16
Everton
10 2 3 5 10 17 -7 9 17
The Crystal Palace
10 1 4 5 8 13 -5 7 18
Ipswich 0 5 5 10 21 -11 5
Dyche’s highly contentious post-match remarks highlight why he isn’t Everton’s long-term solution.
Everton had just 34 percent possession against Southampton
It’s safe to argue that Dyche’s defensive style does occasionally draw criticism because Everton supporters have always preferred an attacking style of football.
When the outcomes are lacking, attention shifts to his practical approach, which was evident on Saturday.
Against The Saints, who came into the match at the bottom of the Premier League standings, Everton had just 34% of the ball.
In actuality, Dyche’s team has averaged the lowest possession rates in the division throughout the season, coming in at a concerning 38%.
Dyche tried to justify worrying possession stat
Speaking post-match, The Toffees boss tried to justify the concerning statistic.
Dyche clarified, “We have a drive to come down here and dominate, which we have in the sense of chances.”
“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 about being opened up today, so you don’t need to dominate these games with the ball.”
“I honestly can’t remember (Jordan) Pickford being stretched at all, hardly,” Dyche added. I’m frustrated that we didn’t take full advantage of the fact that we had excellent shape, good energy, and won the ball back in numerous crucial areas.
His statements make it very evident that he is not Everton’s long-term solution, and the Friedkin Group will be fully aware of the dissatisfaction of the supporters over the style of play.
Southampton has already reduced the difference to five points, which is concerning given the difficult schedule Dyche’s team has ahead of them.
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