Vitaliy Mykolenko not heeding Sean Dyche advice as post-Luton comments reveal Everton tactical demands
Vitaliy Mykolenko had a poor performance for Everton as they slumped to a 2-1 defeat to newly-promoted Luton Town on Saturday (30 September).
Speaking post-match to the official Everton website (30 September), Dyche revealed he made it clear to his players where Luton’s biggest threat was, saying: “[Luton] work off set-pieces, and they did that well today, so credit to them. We told the players – they knew to deal with that and then play our own way.”
The Ukrainian’s frequent lapses in concentration during Luton’s set-piece plays indicate that the full-back is not meeting Dyche’s tactical demands.
For Luton’s 24th-minute opener, Mykolenko was left wanting. He proved completely ineffective at stopping Carlton Morris’ thunderous header towards Jordan Pickford from the corner and left the striker unchallenged. While the Hatters were fortunate that the deflected shot fell nicely to Tom Lockyer to poke home, questions would have been asked of the number 19.
Mykolenko’s day would not get any better as he was directly at fault for Luton’s second. In yet another effective Luton set-piece, Alfie Doughty’s free-kick into the box was met by Morris, who peeled off a chasing Mykolenko who could only sit and watch the ball hit the back of the net.
Teams of Luton Town’s ilk will often rely on set-pieces to get goals. If well-drilled enough, even a lower-quality side like the Hatters can get surprise points against top opposition if executed correctly.
While Luton should be admired for the gusto they showed at Goodison Park, the scoreline could have proved better reading if Mykolenko remained vigilant in these key moments.
He did not have a terrible game overall. Per SofaScore, Mykolenko managed two clearances, eight tackles and a 100% ground duel success rate (9/9), showing that he is certainly not a lost cause or a key issue in the Everton side.
But for sides struggling to pick up points, ensuring that you’re sticking to the basic principles that the manager has discussed before the game is vital and something Mykolenko failed to do at Goodison Park.
While he may have known “to deal” with this key threat, the Goodison Park faithful will be demanding more from their full-back.
In other Everton news, David Ornstein revealed where the Toffees’ new potential owners were for the Luton clash.