Plenty for new Toffees boss Dyche to sort out but time is of the essence

On Monday, Sean Dyche became Everton’s eighth permanent manager since Farhad Moshiri became the club’s majority shareholder in February 2016. 

Chopping and changing that many managers suggests that whoever is calling the shots in the dugout is probably not the main problem. But with the depth of quality coaches in the Premier League at an all-time high, a run of just two points from their last eight league games left the Everton hierarchy right to question whether they could find a better manager than Frank Lampard.

Aston Villa and Wolves both appointed Europa League winners, Unai Emery and Julen Lopetegui, when their seasons hit the buffers, and while Dyche can’t match that continental success, he did bring European football to Burnley for the first time in over 50 years when his Clarets side qualified for Uefa’s secondary competition in 2018-19.

Short-term decision-making has hindered Everton in recent years and Dyche’s appointment is perhaps another – but he does probably represent their best hope of escaping relegation.

His task will be extremely tough, however. The average number of points needed to survive in the last five seasons was 36.8, meaning Everton might need to pick up 22 points from their remaining 18 games to stay up. They’ve accrued 0.75 points per game so far and will need to up that to 1.2 – the same rate as 12th-placed Crystal Palace – from now until the end of the season to reach that survival benchmark.

Recent results under Lampard have been particularly damaging as Everton have been beaten by five of the six sides around them at the bottom. Eleven of their remaining 18 matches are against sides currently in the top half and they have only three home games against bottom-half teams remaining.

It means Dyche must find a way to galvanise the club, or at least get the Goodison fanbase on side as soon as possible. The ire of Everton fans has been directed at the board rather than the manager, so there’s no guarantee that a new man at the helm will improve the mood among Toffees supporters.

Last season Everton had the joint-worst away record but a solid mid-table one at Goodison Park. That was boosted by picking up 13 points in their last six home games, including wins over Newcastle, Manchester United and Chelsea as the fans joined Lampard’s rallying cry and carried them to safety. It’s hard to see Everton surviving again if Dyche can’t again make Goodison a tough place to visit.

Dyche’s direct style can be difficult to warm to, especially if it isn’t translating into results, but the fact that he does have a defined style is a positive as it became hard to decipher exactly how Lampard wanted his side to play. They tried to press energetically when he first arrived, but were picked apart too easily. They went more pragmatic during the run-in but have struggled this term when trying to be more expansive.

Attempting to pass out from the back is likely to diminish. Despite never ranking higher than 16th for possession, Dyche’s Burnley side attempted the most long passes in four of the last five seasons. It was backed up by a coordinated pressing game and installing the correct pressing triggers should at least make Everton harder to play against.

Defensive problems cost Lampard at Chelsea and, despite a strong start to this season, you can only keep blocking and saving shots for so long, as the table below illustrates.

Old problems defending set-pieces and transitions returned. 

Idrissa Gueye was often left exposed at the base of a 4-3-3 formation when other midfielders pushed forward, something Dyche will hope to see less often if switching to his preferred compact 4-4-2 with two central ‘destroyers’. Everton will have less of the ball under Dyche, but they should be harder to pass through.

Output at the other end of the pitch is also a major concern. Richarlison led the way for Everton with ten goals and five assists last season, but without him only Wolves have scored fewer goals this term.

Burnley were not an offensive juggernaut under Dyche – they never ranked higher than 14th for shots taken and scored fewer than a goal per game in four of their six seasons in the top flight.

What they did do, however, was be direct and play to their strengths with Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes up top. Despite limited possession they ranked third, joint-sixth, second, fifth and second for successful crosses into the box, and always in the top ten for shot-creating actions from set-pieces.

Having sold Richarlison to help ease financial fair play worries, Everton were always taking a gamble on the fitness and form of Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The England international scored 29 times in 60 games under Carlo Ancelotti but has netted only once in 11 appearances in a disjointed 2022-23 campaign.

It was imperative Everton added to their striking options on deadline day, but nothing materialised and Dyche will now have to make the most of what he has inherited from Lampard. Maybe Calvert-Lewin, one of the best aerial threats in the league, could rediscover his form if crossing and deliveries from the right areas becomes a point of emphasis under Dyche.

With most of the clubs around them investing, defying relegation quotes of 8-13 will be difficult. And Dyche’s Everton introduction couldn’t be tougher with pacesetters Arsenal visiting Goodison on Saturday before a Merseyside derby at Anfield a week on Monday.

Burnley had a reputation for giving the big guns a tough examination at Turf Moor. But for all their endeavour they usually came off second best, winning three, drawing six and losing 27 home games against the big six by an 18-66 aggregate scoreline in their six top-flight seasons before relegation.

Getting his methods across quickly will be a priority for Dyche with huge matches against Leeds, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest to come after the Merseyside derby.

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