Wayne Rooney praises impact of Sean Dyche at Everton but warns relegation would be a ‘disaster’
Wayne Rooney has praised the “solid appointment” of Sean Dyche at Everton but warned that relegation from the Premier League would be a “disaster” for the club.
Since taking over from Frank Lampard in the Goodison Park dugout, Dyche has masterminded a return of 11 points from a possible 24, with wins over Arsenal, Leeds United and Brentford matched with respective clean sheets.
However, the Toffees still sit in the relegation zone after West Ham United’s 1-0 win over Southampton, ahead of their clash with Tottenham on Monday night [3 April] and Rooney admitted he’s worried about his former club as they can’t seem to steer clear of the drop zone despite some decent results.
Speaking in his column for The Times [3 April], he said: “It is hard to remember a tighter relegation battle.
“Things are so close between the bottom nine. The clubs in greatest danger? Southampton, Leeds United, Bournemouth, Everton and maybe Nottingham Forest. I reckon three out of those five will go down.
“I’m feeling nervous as an Evertonian but Sean Dyche was a solid appointment and Everton have had some good results since he arrived. The one disheartening thing, though, is that despite those results have not pulled them away from trouble and that could play on the minds of the players.
“However, they have certainly got a good enough squad to survive and I just hope they do it because it would be a disaster if the club got relegated.”
Nerve-wracking
Rooney is right, no matter the positive result Everton seems to pick up under Dyche, they just can’t seem to steer clear of the drop zone which just shows how tight and nerve-wracking this Premier League relegation battle currently is. Arguably will be one of the best we’ve ever witnessed.
The Blues have indeed enjoyed some good results in recent weeks with the former Burnley boss transforming the club’s defence in so little time but there’s still a huge amount of work to be done as the Toffees look to steer clear of a potential relegation disaster.
We’ve already seen the financial implications of a potential relegation which means the pressure on Dyche and his players are rapidly increasing as they face Tottenham on Monday night [3 April].
Anything other than a win at Goodison Park would be disappointing, that’s how pivotal each game is for Everton between now and the end of the season – games they are expected to lose, they have got to win.