Saturday’s win over Arsenal was a vintage Everton performance. Sean Dyche had only had a matter of days working with the players and finding out about the issues at the club, but the response was nothing short of emphatic from the group.
It made for a great drive home from Goodison Park, having that conversation with your family over who was the Man of the Match. That’s a debate we haven’t been having for a long time. In recent games we've been trying to pick a Man of the Match for someone who has done two good passes, but contrast that with coming out of the ground on Saturday with three points, a clean sheet and discussing who you think the best player was on the day. That’s the headache we want as fans.
Everything was against us going into the game and you were wondering if we had the tools to get something out of it. Arsenal are absolutely flying, we’ve had huge issues off the pitch and, on the pitch, we’ve been very poor. I wanted a reaction and to see blood, sweat and tears on the pitch. If we got beaten by a top Arsenal side after doing that, then fair enough. We got the win in the end and Dyche’s comments after the game about the minimum requirement being maximum effort is exactly what you want to hear - he is setting his standards from the get-go.
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For the first time in a long time, the players deserved the win. They stepped up to the plate and showed that energy we’ve been craving. There were always going to be moments where Arsenal dominated as they’re a great passing side, but Seamus Coleman set the tone early on with a strong challenge on Gabriel Martinelli.
The players had to work hard, communicate with each other and it looked like everyone had their own individual jobs. We haven’t won any individual battles in recent weeks, but we were closing people down left, right and centre. It is a very demanding way to play, but the players kept it up for the whole match.
I’ve said for weeks Everton have been a soft touch when things go wrong, but they stood up for themselves at the weekend and showed some pride in their performance. Mykolenko, once again against top opposition, was excellent against a tricky winger who can cause problems to any full-back. The two centre-backs were outstanding, you could see organising the team; Dominic Calvert-Lewin seemed fit and was putting himself about and our wingers did what we’ve been asking for, running with the ball and crossing it in.
There was a lot of talk of ‘Dycheball’ and negative tactics after the game, but it wasn’t. We had more shots on target than Arsenal. It was a productive plan: get the ball in certain areas and ask a question of the opposition defence. No one was passing the ball backwards, like we have done of late, we were committed to being on the front foot and posing problems.
Sean Dyche deserves huge credit, but all he has done is simplified things. We make the basic things appear so complicated, even something as routine as taking a goal kick. We had a gameplan of where to be and our starting points were spot on. Dyche knows the players have got the quality to play that system and they have that will and desire, the question now is whether they can become more consistent.
Onana is taking on Richarlison role
I have been looking at this group of players in recent months and questioning who was going to be our Richarlison, the one to say ‘I’m going to save this football club.’ Anyone can speak those words, but Richy started showing it on the pitch. Onana is a young player, but he seems to understand the situation we’re in right now. His comments on social media reinforcing his desire to stay at the club were nice to hear and he’s starting to show that in his performances. He has got the talent and reminds me a little bit of Pogba in the way he glides around the pitch with a sense of confidence.
Right near the end of the game, he won a tackle that was celebrated like a goal. That was due to the effort he showed in the late stages, and Dyche will be looking to continue getting the best out of him. He deserves all the plaudits based on his Arsenal performance.
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