Sean Dyche must use the merciless Everton axe on Ashley Young for the vital Premier League match against Bournemouth.
Everton meet fellow strugglers Bournemouth on Saturday 7 October, and Sean Dyche may be forced to part ways with one of his preferred senior players, Ashley Young.
The Toffees’ two-game winning streak was ended abruptly last week at Goodison Park by Luton Town, who earned their first top-flight victory of the season.
After six games, Everton are currently outside the relegation zone solely on goal difference, and the pressure is mounting on Dyche to start picking up points and quiet the speculation about his employment.
The Toffees have struggled to win at home this season, with all three of their games against Fulham, Wolves, and Luton ending in loss – all three games that would have ended differently had Dyche’s players lived up to their xG.
Another element in Everton’s poor home form is their lazy and ineffective defence at important moments, probably one of the most critical being Young’s error last weekend, which led to Luton’s opening.
It’s safe to say the former England international hasn’t lived up to the fans’ expectations since signing as a free agent in the summer, putting in another poor performance against the Hatters that could push Dyche to make an unexpected decision on his long-term future at Goodison Park.
The former Burnley manager’s insistence on playing the experienced veteran was acceptable given Young’s leadership and expertise, but his qualities are fading and his experience can no longer be used to justify starting him following a string of dismal performances.
With the likes of Seamus Coleman on the verge of returning to fitness and the exuberance of Nathan Patterson, albeit unluckily, available and waiting on the bench, Dyche may be forced to make the tough decision against the Cherries on Saturday.
After past performances, Young is already on shaky ground.
One of his worst performances occurred in a 3-1 victory over Brentford, when he won only 42% of his ground duels, had 44 touches, failed to finish a single one of his crosses, lost possession of the ball 11 times, and failed to complete any of his dribbles [SofaScore].
The former Manchester United full-back could not lead his side to a capable and solid performance, let alone an unlikely victory, winning just one of his ground duels, successfully completing 56% of his passes, recording just 34 touches, losing possession 12 times, failing to complete a single cross, dribbling past once, and recording just one tackle [SofaScore].
Young played only 78 minutes, according to SofaScore, and was appropriately written off for Patterson, who should now be expected to replace him in the starting lineup from now on. The former Aston Villa full-back won just one duels during the game, lost possession of the ball 11 times, finished only one of his four crosses, completed 0% of his dribbles, and, most importantly, committed a crucial mistake in the build-up to Luton Town’s first.
It would be quite upsetting if Dyche chose to play Young against Bournemouth. It’s one of those choices that, given his recent bad form, might cost him his job at Goodison Park.
He simply must be removed off the firing line for this one.
In other Everton news, Dyche may have made a brilliant behind-the-scenes choice following recent contract news on Merseyside.
About The Author
Leave a Reply