Paul Merson amazed by turnaround under Sean Dyche, predicts Everton vs Aston Villa result
Paul Merson has predicted the Sean Dyche revolution to continue at Everton with another win over Aston Villa at Goodison Park.
It’s two wins from two at home for the new Toffees manager, with table-toppers Arsenal and relegation rivals Leeds United both dispatched in a similar manner, with the latter result branded “amazing” by Merson who feels the former Burnley boss needed to be brought in sooner.
The Sky Sports pundit believes a draw in this game against 11th-placed Villa would cement the Everton turnaround under Dyche, but he has tipped them to go one better and record a third-straight 1-0 victory at home.
In his Sportskeeda column on Thursday (23 February) Merson wrote: “The 1-0 win over Leeds United last Saturday was an amazing result for Everton. Sean Dyche is a very good manager and the top brass are probably sitting there thinking they should have pulled the trigger earlier on Frank Lampard.
“If they had brought Dyche in a bit sooner than they eventually did, they wouldn’t have got beaten by some of the teams that beat them towards the end of Lampard’s reign. If Everton draw this game, they’ve turned it around already. They’ve got six points in their last three matches.
“Arsenal vs Villa was a good game but Unai Emery’s side are starting to leak goals. They’ve conceded 11 goals in their last three matches and it doesn’t look great for them right now. I expect Everton to win this one. It will be a tight contest but I expect the Toffees to come out on top.”
From the ashes
It is still early days but the effects of Dyche’s appointment have so far been exactly what Toffees fans were hoping for.
It obviously cannot be overlooked that there is still a deficiency in attack and the team looked very different away from home in the Merseyside derby, but however it is achieved right now points are what matters.
The manager would prefer not to be relying on goals from defenders to win games, but if that’s what it takes then nobody will be complaining too much for now.
A poor weekend at Goodison and elsewhere could still leave the club back in the relegation zone, but another win will signify the revival is truly up and running.
Aston Villa have lost their last three, and the new manager bounce that they received from their own managerial change from Steven Gerrard to Unai Emery looks to have worn off.
But they are still a tricky proposition so, Goodison crowd or not, this is a game that cannot be taken lightly if Everton want to maintain momentum.