Gary Neville urges Everton to take brutal Dominic Calvert-Lewin stance live on Sky Sports
Gary Neville has warned Sean Dyche that his Everton side will get relegated from the Premier League if they pin their hopes to injury-stricken forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin, live on Sky Sports.
The Toffees fell to an uninspiring 2-0 loss to Liverpool on Monday night (13 February), and the English manager played academy graduate Ellis Simms in the number nine role due, as Calvert-Lewin missed out.
Dyche admitted after the game that the English striker was absent from the Merseyside Derby with a hamstring issue and that the club needed to build his strength up to combat his unfortunate injury record. [Liverpool World, 13 February]
However, former Manchester United defender Neville admitted on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football that Dyche must turn his attentions elsewhere if he realistically hoped to keep the Toffees in the Premier League this season.
He said (13 February, 10:49pm): “They’ve [Everton] got to stop talking about Dominic Calvert-Lewin, it’s as if they’re waiting for something to sort of save them – it might never come.
“They’ve got to get [Neal] Maupay playing, the boy [Ellis Simms] tonight I think it might have been beneficial for him to have a partner up there with him – it’s tough playing on your own, it’s the toughest position to play up front, on your own, other than goalkeeper I think.
“For me, this idea that they always mention, ‘when we get Calvert-Lewin back we’ll be okay,’ no you won’t. You can’t wait for him. You’ll be relegated if you’re waiting for him.”
Harsh truths
Although Everton fans may not want to admit it, Neville has a point here.
With just 16 games remaining of the Premier League season, how many of these does Calvert-Lewin realistically play from the first whistle?
Unfortunately for the Englishman, he can’t get himself up to full fitness often enough to be labelled as an instrumental player. Even when he started in the past month he has looked rather immobile and ineffective at the tip of the Toffees attack – so Dyche must turn his attentions elsewhere.
Simms and Neal Maupay are the only players that Dyche can realistically work with to lead the line in his preferred 4-4-2 formation, and although they may not look like the firepower Everton need to blast their way clear of relegation, at least there fit.
The coming weeks are going to be where Dyche earns his pay, with crunch matches against Leeds, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest waiting on the horizon.