Paul Merson: Everton won’t blow anyone away under Sean Dyche, manager has hard job after Aston Villa loss
Everton won’t blow any team away no matter who they play so Sean Dyche has a “hard job” to do at Goodison Park, says Paul Merson.
The Toffees came back down to earth with a 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday (25 February), as the new manager suffered his first home loss following two much-needed wins.
Everton were undone by an inability to find the net as the attacking deficiencies were laid bare once more, and results elsewhere saw the club consigned back into the relegation zone, but Merson believes there is plenty of opportunity to reach safety still.
In his Monday column for Sky Sports Merson said: “Everton have had a reality check, the fans were booing after the defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday. They aren’t going to blow anyone away whoever they play.
“They have a certain style, hard to beat, tight and it’s alright playing that way if you win matches. It’s a hard job Sean Dyche has there.
“But there’s a lot of games to go and it can quickly change.”
Bump
It was a tough afternoon on Merseyside and returning to the bottom three a week after climbing out of it against Leeds is a blow.
But it was never going to be plain sailing from here onwards just because Dyche had taken over, and his two wins from four is still a major improvement from the form under Frank Lampard in the final weeks of his reign.
The former Burnley boss’ style, coupled with the latest drawn-out absence for Dominic Calvert-Lewin, is going to mean other players have to take their chances and luck needs to be on their side.
That wasn’t the case on Saturday and it is not news to anyone that this Everton team has issues up front, with Neal Maupay enduring a goal drought and midfield not chipping in.
The abject failure in the transfer market has given the manager nothing to help him turn things around, so the prospect of blowing any side away is indeed remote.
Given the situation in attack Dyche has probably overachieved so far, and it is going to be an uncomfortable time for the rest of the season as it remains touch and go whether this side can find the net.
They went close more than once against Villa and on another day might have done enough to win but Merson has highlighted the reality of the situation.
It isn’t great but, for now, there can be some belief that the managerial change is enough drag the team to safety with the help of the fans, despite the board not assisting at all during in the January window.