Journalist surprised by Sean Dyche decision to drop Michael Keane for Everton v Wolves
Sean Dyche’s decision to drop Everton defender Michael Keane for the Premier League home defeat to Wolves “surprised” journalist Paul Brown.
On Saturday 26 August, the Toffees suffered their third consecutive league defeat, leaving them with zero points from a potential nine.
Following the 4-0 defeat at Aston Villa prior to this game, Dyche made some changes, most notably dropping defender Keane and bringing in Jarrad Branthwaite. This decision caught Brown off guard, but the journalist believes it might have been the correct call.
“I was surprised that Dyche took Keane out. I didn’t think he would. Of all Everton’s defenders, Keane looked the one lowest on confidence in the previous game,” Brown told GIVEMESPORT (29 August).
“I don’t think that defeat (Aston Villa) was entirely his fault. I think there were a lot of factors at play there. But taking him out might have been wise if his confidence was low.”
Necessary
Brown is absolutely spot on. Sometimes if a player is low on confidence, the best thing to do is take him out of the firing line for a week or two and allow him to get his head straight. It is clear from the start of the season that Keane is not a player playing with much confidence right now, and Dyche will hope that changes sooner rather than later.
However, while this could be a beneficial short-term fix, it is not something that Dyche can afford to keep doing as the campaign progresses. The key to any successful side is a settled defensive line, as it allows the players to become familiar with each other and build a strong unit.
Everton’s problems have been further up the pitch rather than at the back, and Dyche won’t want to create another issue for himself by tinkering around too much with his defensive options.
In other Everton news, Brown has suggested that one star at Goodison Park is “more than likely to leave” before Friday.