Michael Skubala and Sean Dyche will be sharing more than just a Goodison Park touchline when Leeds United head to Everton on Saturday afternoon. The pair will be taking charge of their third game with their respective clubs following their recent appointments, Skubala’s being on a temporary basis while the club find a permanent coach to take the reins, of course.
Both will be feeling the pressure and both will be looking for improvements from their side following defeats last time out, with the knowledge a defeat would leave them in the bottom three. However, the connection runs a little deeper than the situation the two currently find themselves in at the foot of the Premier League.
In fact, in John Duncan, Skubala and Dyche share a mentor. The Everton boss played under Duncan for several years at Chesterfield, where he is considered to be a favourite having made 231 appearances, and a large chunk of those were under Duncan.
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Skubala, on the other hand, spent time working with Duncan, who played for Dundee and Tottenham Hotspur and also managed Scunthorpe United and Ipswich Town, at Loughborough University while he was learning his trade as a young coach. The late Duncan passed knowledge and expertise on to both men and they credit him as having a big influence on their careers.
As such, if time permits on Saturday the pair could get together and raise a glass to Duncan, who passed away in October 2022. However, Skubala may well be hoping the information and advice he received from Duncan can help him get the better over the Toffees’ coach this weekend.
“I've met Sean a couple times, he probably doesn't remember me,” the Leeds caretaker laughed. “But yeah, we have a similar guy that we know, he played for John Duncan, who actually worked with me a few years ago.
“I learned a lot off John as well. Sadly John's passed away now but he's such a good footballing man and both of us probably come from the school of John Duncan in ways.
“So, yeah I know Sean a little bit and obviously I know he's a great manager. Every manager in the Premier League is great and every team is tough, it will be a tough game on Saturday, no doubt.”
Skubala has managed to oversee two fairly positive performances so far during his time in the Elland Road hotseat, pushing Manchester United all the way on both occasions. But, the pressure to get a result will be dialled up this weekend with Leeds taking on a direct relegation rival in Everton.
The midfield might be where the game is won and lost on Saturday and the 40-year-old has considered that notion.
“Lots of thoughts, lots of thinking,” he said when asked whether for his thoughts on how to handle Everton’s midfield. “They're going to be really physical, we know that, they're really aggressive.
“They are supreme athletes in the middle of park so we've got to be really good and really competitive on a day to make sure we win that battle in midfield.”
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