Sean Dyche must wield brutal Everton axe on Ashley Young for crucial Premier League Bournemouth clash
Everton face a crucial crunch clash against fellow strugglers Bournemouth on Saturday 7 October and it may be time for Sean Dyche to wield the axe on one of his favoured senior stars in Ashley Young.
The Toffees saw their two-game winning run halted abruptly by Luton Town at Goodison Park last week as the newly promoted visitors claimed their first top-flight win of the season.
Everton now sit outside of the relegation zone on goal difference alone after six games and the pressure is growing on Dyche to start picking up points and ease the talk about his job.
The Toffees have found a win at home hard to come by so far this season, with all three of their games there ending in defeat against Fulham, Wolves and Luton – all three games which would have ended differently had Dyche’s men lived up to their xG.
However, another factor in Everton’s poor home form is their slack and weak defending at crucial moments and arguably one of the most critical was Young’s error that led to Luton’s opener last weekend.
It’s safe to say the former England international hasn’t particularly backed up the fan’s excitement since his free agent move over the summer, showcasing another woeful display against the Hatters which could force Dyche into an unexpected decision over his long-term future at Goodison Park.
The former Burnley boss’ insistence on starting the experienced veteran has been understandable given Young’s leadership and experience but his qualities are on the wane and his experience can no longer be an excuse to start him after consistent poor form.
With the likes of Seamus Coleman soon returning to fitness and the exuberance of Nathan Patterson ready and waiting on the bench, albeit unluckily, it may be time for Dyche to make the brutal call against the Cherries on Saturday.
Young is already on thin ice after previous performances.
One of his worst performances came in the 3-1 win over Brentford where he won just 42% of his ground duels, recorded just 44 touches, failed to complete a single one of his crosses, lost possession of the ball 11 times and failed to complete any of his dribbles [SofaScore].
Against Arsenal before that it was a similar story, the former Manchester United full-back could not lead his side to a capable and solid performance let alone an unlikely victory, winning just one of his ground duels, successfully completing 56% of his passes, recording just 34 touches, losing possession 12 times, failed to complete a single cross, dribbled past once and recorded just one tackle [SofaScore].
As per SofaScore, Young played just 78 minutes and was correctly chalked off for Patterson who should now be expected to replace him in the starting line-up from now on. The former Aston Villa full-back won just one of his duels all game, lost possession of the ball 11 times, completed just one of his four crosses, completed 0% of his dribbles and more crucially, made a critical mistake in the lead-up to Luton Town’s opener.
It would be absolutely disappointing if Dyche were to stick with Young for the Bournemouth game. It’s one of those decisions which could ultimately cost him his job at Goodison Park due to recent poor form.
He’s simply got to be taken out of the firing line for this one.
In other Everton news, Dyche may have made a masterstroke behind-the-scenes decision after recently confirmed contract news on Merseyside.