Journalist says Sean Dyche has ‘bigger problems’ than Michael Keane at Everton, delivers ‘abject’ verdict
Michael Keane wasn’t entirely at fault for the defeat against Aston Villa, which would have left Everton boss Sean Dyche with “bigger problems” to worry about, according to journalist Paul Brown.
The Toffees have made a dismal start to the new Premier League campaign, losing at home to Fulham in their opening game before being thrashed on their travels to Villa Park.
Dyche’s men continued an unfortunate trend from last season as they were unable to score in either match and were also poor defensively against Villa. Keane in particular has received a lot of criticism, although Brown does not believe it is fair to point all the blame in the defender’s direction.
“Keane gets a lot of stick from Everton fans and always has. He was pretty poor against Aston Villa. I don’t think you can blame that defeat on him,” Brown told GIVEMESPORT (22 August).
“I think there were bigger problems in the whole team really. He’s badly at fault for two of the goals but personally, I thought the game had already been lost by that point. I thought Sean Dyche nailed it in his post-match interview when he said they were miles off it. They just didn’t seem quite alive or up for this game in the way they were last week.
“They were actually really good last week and unlucky not to win that game. This time, this was just a pretty abject performance.”
Brutal
While it is a pretty tough assessment of the Merseyside-based club’s fortunes, it is about all they deserve to hear after such a disappointing start to the campaign. Supporters would have been hopeful that this could be a year where they push higher up the table, but if the opening two games are anything to go by, it seems another relegation battle awaits them.
Brown is spot on in suggesting that not all of the blame can be placed on Keane’s doorstep. When a side loses 4-0, that is a collective issue, not an individual one. While the 30-year-old has by no means covered himself in any glory with his performance against Villa, neither has anyone else on the pitch really.
It could be another long season for the club, although there is still time to act in the transfer window and ensure it is not another year of relegation dogfights.
The question is, will they?
In other Everton news, a move for an attacking target has been blocked by board members at the club.