Sean Dyche has not reviewed Everton’s horror show on the south coast ahead of the club’s crucial game with Bournemouth.
Across five grim November days the Blues travelled down to the Vitality Stadium twice - and were pummelled on both occasions. Being knocked out of the Carabao Cup and suffering a morale-sapping Premier League defeat to an aggregate loss of 7-1 ensured a downbeat feeling as the side entered the World Cup break.
For many of the fans, some of whom had travelled a combined 1,000 miles to watch the double humiliation unfold, it was a sign of just how precarious Everton’s initial progress had been - days before the first defeat the club had gone into a Bonfire Night match with Leicester City knowing a win would send it into the top half. For some, it was the week that highlighted the reign of Frank Lampard was doomed.
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Everton kept faith with Lampard after that difficult week but by the end of January his tenure was over. In stepped Sean Dyche, the man who will lead the players from the dugout during one of the most important games in the club’s history. For Dyche, those 180 minutes at Bournemouth offer little advice for the task facing his side in the final game of the season. To him, too much has changed - at both clubs - for those games to hold relevance.
He explained: “I would not look back at that [the two defeats]. I hope we are a different animal. We analysed the recent games of Bournemouth. They have had a good season. They spent well in January. They are different outfit and have a different look, and we have as well.”
It has been a week in which Dyche has sought to ease the tension and calm frayed nerves at Finch Farm where, like at Goodison Park and the club’s Royal Liver Building offices, it is impossible to avoid the gravity of what is at stake. One of his mantras is consistency and he has sought to bring calmness to a dressing room he found to be too emotional upon his arrival.
The players had Sunday and Monday off after the Wolverhampton Wanderers game on Saturday, when Yerry Mina’s 99th minute equaliser rescued what could be an invaluable point. Few would have been able to escape the matches of Leeds United and Leicester City over that 48 hours - though both ultimately failed to clinch a win that would have seen them take the upper hand in the relegation battle going into the final day. Both games were fraught, however, with Leeds taking the lead before being overcome by West Ham United and a stoppage time save from Nick Pope preventing Leicester from pulling off a smash-and-grab win at Newcastle United. Had Dyche text Pope, his goalkeeper as recently as last season, to thank him? “He’s a fine goalkeeper doing what fine goalkeepers do”, was all the Blues boss would be drawn on when speaking at Finch Farm on Friday afternoon.
Another of Pope’s former colleagues, James Tarkowski, has proved a valuable signing for Everton this season. For a start, in a side continually ripped apart by injuries his availability for every minute of every league game has been crucial. Tarkowski said Dyche had remained at ease this week, adding: “If you see the manager he's walking around singing. He's calm and relaxed. That's just the way he is and I think that rubs off on us in a good way.”
The centre back added: “He's got a way of delivering messages on the training pitch and around the place. You soak them up, take them in and it ends up becoming a mindset. The manager has got a list of team beliefs, which are good. 'Be relentless' is one of the big ones and 'the minimum requirement is maximum effort' is another he loves. Then there are a few I can't repeat.”
There was no change in approach this week - other than adapting sessions to deal with the absences the club has to deal with - as Dyche sought to maintain consistency. There was also no training session at Goodison Park to try and help the players focus in an arena in which they have lost their last three games.
Dyche explained: “I don’t think they need that. On reflection, you look at what the group needs. I think this group believes in the consistency I have been talking about. We have adapted parts of the training session, but not times, or meetings or anything like that. Just adapting the look of the team and tactical planning. The bigger stuff - the themes, the culture - they all stay with what we believe is correct.”
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