Sean Dyche must make major Everton decision during international break and decide his strongest XI
Everton fans are largely split on how the transfer window went for them this summer, despite Sean Dyche seemingly being content.
The club brought in five new players this summer after releasing several first-teamers at the end of their contracts, while Alex Iwobi was the only high-profile exit of the window when he joined Fulham on deadline day.
But after no wins and just two goals after four games, Dyche now must use the international break to make a decision on what his strongest XI is for the upcoming season and start working on getting them together regularly to get points on the board.
You won’t find anyone who feels Jordan Pickford shouldn’t be the number one at Goodison Park and he will continue there so long as he is fit and available.
The defence is arguably weaker than last season however after losing Conor Coady and Yerry Mina, while Jarrad Branthwaite returned from a loan spell at PSV Eindhoven. He should be first choice alongside James Tarkowski too as he has been in recent weeks, with Michael Keane and Ben Godfrey serving as back-up options.
At left-back Ashley Young is capable of filling in, but when everyone is fit and firing a natural defender is always the better option and Vitalii Mykolenko has been solid in the past. At right-back it’s between captain and legend Seamus Coleman and Nathan Patterson, and it feels like the time is right for a passing of the torch now.
In midfield Idrissa Gueye has started the campaign slowly and it could be a sign of an impending decline, so Amadou Onana should be tasked with that sitting role for now to provide more stability.
Ahead of him it would be great to see James Garner and Abdoulaye Doucoure going box-to-box and providing a goal threat while also working hard off the ball to protect the defence, in the exact way that Dyche likes his teams to do.
In attack there are a lot of new options after the arrivals of Jack Harrison, Arnaut Danjuma, Youssef Chermiti and Beto that mean Dyche has some decisions to make.
Demarai Gray looks likely to leave after a breakdown in relationship with the manager which should open up the left wing spot for Netherlands international Danjuma and with Iwobi leaving it should see Dwight McNeil move over to the right once he’s fit again.
Up front Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been the main man for years at Everton but with his fitness a huge issue, Dyche is surely considering not relying on him as the first-choice number nine anymore and Beto’s first two performances would justify that decision to make the Portuguese forward first choice now.
Whether Dyche agrees or not is yet to be seen, but he must use this period to make the decisions and work on getting them together regularly to get us out of trouble after our horror start.
In other Everton news, Dyche wanted an Arsenal defender on deadline day.