Sean Dyche must axe Abdoulaye Doucoure at HT after howler for Everton v West Ham United
Sean Dyche cannot allow Abdoulaye Doucoure to play the second half for Everton after his howling miss against West Ham United on Saturday.
The Blues have had the better of the opening exchanges at the London Stadium but none more so than the golden opportunity bestowed upon the midfielder in the first half.
Everton launched a counterattack which led to Doucoure running through one-on-one with the goalkeeper, however, the Frenchman took far too long to get his shot away, allowing Crycensio Summerville a goal-saving block.
Dyche should feel begrudged his side is going into the break on level terms and, must make a bold decision to ensure this match doesn’t get away from the Toffees.
Everton should replace Abdoulaye Doucoure with Beto
Doucoure established himself at Goodison Park operating in the number 10 role in recent years, but he has looked lightyears away from the player he once was in East London.
Everton, of course, would have preferred Dwight McNeil to be available to resume his duties behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin however Dyche can be forgiven for trusting the role with Doucoure.
The West Ham defence survived the first-half onslaught but Doucoure managed only 21 touches in 45 minutes of action [Sofascore].
In possession, Doucoure has completed only 87 per cent of his 17 passing attempts with no key passes to boast and he was dispossessed twice despite his side dominating the midfield battle.
Furthermore, his glorious opportunity failed to register as a shot on goal due to Summerville’s last-ditch block, and ever since, he has become a passenger at the London Stadium as his teammates make note of his dire miss and opt to focus play on the flanks.
Even in the midfield battle, in which Doucoure typically shows his prowess, he has faltered, losing 100 per cent of his aerial duels, zero ground duels contested, zero tackles, and zero interceptions – it has truly been a non-existent performance from the midfielder.
Dyche understands the significance of a result in East London, with Doucoure letting the match pass him by, it may be time to throw caution to the wind and introduce Beto to partner Calvert-Lewin and take advantage of the frail West Ham defence.
In other Everton news, Fulham and ex-Roma chief Lina Souloukou has been approached over a CEO role with the Toffees.
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