Joleon Lescott baffled by one Sean Dyche decision in Everton defeat v Newcastle United as relegation prediction shared
Former Everton defender Joleon Lescott was left baffled by Sean Dyche’s decision to leave out Demarai Gray after their disappointing 4-1 defeat to Newcastle United on Thursday [27 April].
The Toffees’ quest to secure their Premier League status for next season took another sorry turn as Sean Dyche’s men fell to yet another damaging loss and performance on home turf.
Goals from Callum Wilson (2), Joelinton and Murphy meant the Toffees stayed rooted to the bottom three in the Premier League two points from safety and needing to pull off a miracle in their next five games to save their English top-flight status once again.
And Lescott speaking live to BT Sport 2 after full-time, was bemused by Demarai Gray’s omission and talked up the importance of their next crucial game against Leicester City on Monday [1 May].
He said: “That is the biggest game in the recent history of the club. I believe whoever loses that game is going down. Listen, Everton can’t rely on their home form now, they have to win away and they have to perform. [Dyche] spoke about the effort but there has to be more than effort, there has to be some quality and some belief. He made some changes today and I understand because they seem positive.
“But how Demarai Gray didn’t get on that pitch tonight… he’s been one of the most consistent performers at Everton this season. They need to take a look at their fixtures and somehow find some points away from home.”
Pivotal
Indeed, Dyche’s decision not to include Gray at some point in the game will have certainly left many of the Everton faithful scratching their heads.
Certainly, the former Leicester City man has struggled for consistency for much of the campaign but his unpredictability and threat in the final third are desperately needed if Everton are to pull themselves out of this rut.
Gray remains one of Everton’s best talents right now and the fact that he can’t even get a look into the team right now is certainly worrying.
With a trip to the King Power to come in what is a pivotal contest for both clubs as Lescott rightly puts it, the former Burnley boss may have to drag Gray back from the cold as the 26-year-old could well end up providing the qualities to topple his former club which will certainly be an intriguing sub-plot in a hugely important contest.
Monday’s game may just be the most important in the Everton history books, but what Dyche will be increasingly worried about is whether his players are up for the task ahead.