Tim Howard shares what Sean Dyche would say to Everton players ahead of Leeds United clash
Everton will take on Leeds United in the Premier League on Saturday (18 February) and Tim Howard feels it’s a big old-school “six-pointer” clash.
The Toffees are heading into this game on the back of a 2-0 loss against Liverpool, but they won 1-0 against the Gunners in Dyche’s first game in charge at Goodison Park.
Leeds, who are yet to appoint a permanent manager, suffered a 2-0 defeat against Manchester United and are 17th in the league table, just a point and a place above the Toffees.
The former Toffees goalkeeper said on NBC Sport that Dyche will be telling his players that these are the games they need to pick up wins.
“It’s a big old school six-pointer,” said Howard on NBC Sport (15 February).
“I think Sean Dyche would be looking forward to this game. They didn’t play well in the derby, the next two games are against Leeds and Aston Villa.
“Dyche has been in and around this block. He will say these now are the games I need performance and somehow, somewhere we get a win.”
Huge
This is a huge game for both teams, and Everton must see this as an opportunity to get above Leeds in the table and move out of the drop zone.
The Toffees need to bounce back to winning ways, and they must get a win here. The Toffees have been very poor away from home, so, they must look to pick up maximum points from their home games.
Leeds did really against Manchester United at Old Trafford, and they can cause problems at Goodison Park as well. They would be looking to play an open, free-flowing attacking football, and the Toffees will get chances to score as well.
The Whites tend to leave gaps at the back, and the Toffees must take full advantage of it in those situations.
However, Dyche could be without Dominic Calvert-Lewin for this game. He is the club’s first-choice striker but has really struggled with injuries in the last 18 months.
Scoring goals is a big headache for the Toffees, and Dyche probably will look to exploit the set-piece threat once again.