Dyche back to square one before Spurs test
Everton marked the first anniversary of Sean Dyche’s appointment by slipping into the relegation zone on Tuesday. The worrying position belies the undoubted progress that the Everton manager has overseen since replacing Frank Lampard but, before demanding fixtures against Tottenham and at Manchester City, his team urgently need to rediscover the spark that has gone missing since the 2-1 defeat by Ange Postecoglou’s team before Christmas. Injuries and constant demands on a small pool of reliable first-team players have caught up with Everton, who have not won in five Premier League matches and suffered morale-sapping home defeats in both cup competitions since last collecting three points at Burnley on 16 December. Dyche’s reign commenced with a tireless home win over north London opposition 12 months ago, when title-chasing Arsenal were beaten 1-0. With the club’s appeal against a 10-point deduction for a breach of financial rules offering no guarantees, he is back to square one in terms of another relegation dogfight. Andy Hunter
