Following the win at Aston Villa, Sean Dyche stated that he was looking into different methods to set up his team; recent home form may act as a spur for change this weekend.
Sean Dyche’s preferred central midfield could be jeopardized as he seeks to stop Everton’s home form.
The Blues meet Bournemouth in a vital match on Saturday, having lost all four games at Goodison Park this season.
Dyche was left perplexed by his team’s struggles on home soil following another setback at the weekend. Everton created chances that they did not take and were punished by defensive blunders. This despite two wins based on strong performances in the week preceding the encounter with Luton Town.
Dyche experimented in the Carabao Cup win over Aston Villa in midweek, and a second half of switches against Luton may have supplied new ideas to his favored 4-5-1 formation. Longer term, his comments on Andre Gomes suggest he may be evaluated for a role when he is healthy, while any changes could also be part of a strategy to deal with what could be a difficult start to 2024.
Following the win at Villa Park, Dyche expressed his desire to try new things, stressing the necessity to find fresh ways to test opponents with a side that lacks depth. He made five changes and modified the system utilized in the previous day’s Premier League triumph over Brentford. At Villa Park, Everton started with five defenders and a central midfield of Amadou Onana and James Garner. That formation was chosen ahead of 4-4-2, which Dyche also examined. Garner was shifted into the centre as they chased the game against Luton, with Idrissa Gueye taken off at halftime.
Dyche admitted after the Villa game that he has a small team and that the tactical change was motivated by a desire to explore alternatives to his usual approach. “I spoke to the group about the mentality of the squad, not just the eleven that was chosen, and I was pleased with that because they had to be adaptable and flexible, which they were, because we only had a couple of days to work on a change of formation,” he explained. But, as I told the players before the game, tactics are one thing, but the will, desire, body language, and intent to produce is the next and most essential thing, so I was pleased with that combination of picking a team and working on it. My staff has also performed admirably since they were thinking about this configuration and’should we, shouldn’t we,’ because we were also considering playing two strikers.
So you take the risk and reward situation of changing it over a two-day period and having a very good performance and a very good win, which is pleasing from the standpoint of both the staff and the players.”
He explained the reasoning behind the switch, saying, “Tactics are the mainstay of it, but we are still trying to get players fit.” We don’t have a deep roster, so we have to attempt to safeguard specific individuals so they are ready for whatever challenges come their way, while also believing in every player, which we do.”
Dyche has also regularly lauded Gomes in recent weeks as the midfielder strives to recover from an injury-plagued summer. He might be another option, as could Dele, who is still out injured but whose contract Everton will consider talking with Spurs once he is close to returning. The 27-year-old is seven appearances away from triggering a £10 million payout, which, given Everton’s financial difficulties, may prove prohibitive to his first-team opportunities.
The Villa game, a rare opportunity to experiment away from the pressures of the Premier League, may also have provided a path for the club’s aspirations to navigate the Africa Cup of Nations early next year.
Ivory Coast will host the tournament, which will take place from January 13 to February 11. Gueye of Senegal and Abdoulaye Doucoure of Mali could potentially be selected for their countries after qualifying for the competition. If they are selected, they might miss up to four Premier League matches if their country advances to the final, with Everton hosting Villa and Tottenham Hotspur as well as visiting Manchester City and Fulham during that time. The FA Cup’s fourth round also happens within that window.
Gueye played in Senegal’s most recent round of friendlies, while Doucoure hasn’t played for Mali in a while and revealed last month that he was evaluating his international future. His statements suggest that only Gueye will travel, but with two-thirds of Dyche’s preferred central midfielders potentially unavailable, it is another dilemma for him to consider.
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