Sean Dyche hinted that each of his Everton striking options is likely to get a chance in the coming weeks as Dominic Calvert-Lewin continues his fitness battle.
Calvert-Lewin was absent from the matchday squad for the Merseyside derby and Dyche suggested he faces an ongoing fight against a persistent hamstring issue and to increase his resilience to injury. The extent of the 25-year-old availability for upcoming games is unclear as a result.
What is clear, however, is that the Everton manager is aware of the attacking problems his team faces and is working to find a solution. Against Liverpool that effort started with Ellis Simms and progressed to Demarai Gray and Neal Maupay.
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Calvert-Lewin's absence was far from a shock after Dyche described his availability as "touch and go" in his pre-derby press conference last week. What was a surprise was that Simms, who has been on loan at Hearts and Sunderland since his only Everton start in December 2021, replaced him ahead of the more experienced Maupay and Gray as Dyche retained the 4-5-1 formation at Anfield that served him well against Arsenal the week before.
Asked what his thought process was going into the game, Dyche explained the decision to start Simms and his view on the wider performance. He said: "We just wanted to give a young player a chance who we thought could be effective and he has worked diligently, and it's tough coming here, obviously. It was a tight call with Neal, who is more a experienced centre-forward and Demarai can sort of play in that area. We tried him [Gray] to get him to see if we could stretch the pitch a little bit as the game wore on. I was pleased with the subs. I thought they tried to react and effect it because we want a group mentality, it's not just about 11 players, it is about the whole group, so I was pleased with them trying to effect the game.
"There were too many sloppy passes in the second half. We gave away the ball in some really poor areas and I think that is something we have got to tidy up, so it is about finding that nice mixture of the shape, the belief, the energy, the commitment and the edge that we played with against Arsenal but then dealing with the ball as well and away from home of course. I felt our fans were amazing last week. We are going to need them continually at home... [I think it is about] bringing that inner core mentality to places like this and that inner bit of steel, I think that will grow over the time that we are working on players."
Dyche said of Calvert-Lewin's fitness fight that the challenge "is not just to get the injury fit, it is to get him genuinely fit so his body doesn't break down". With the suggestion that the England international's recovery may require ongoing monitoring, Dyche said he wants those who could be required to step up to see this as an opportunity as he also sought to find positives following his opening two matches as Blues boss.
The 51-year-old, who has said he does not see Amadou Onana playing in an advanced role as an option, said: "Dominic is a very good player, he has played for England, he has been a very effective player for Everton. That is why he is such a renowned figure. But on the other hand there is growth when players get injured. That is when players come in and they should want to be thirsty to prove they are the next player, they are the one to be reckoned with, that is the mentality I have always believed in and that is what I want from these players.
"Ellis had a chance this week, Neal may get a chance next week, Dimi may get a chance. We are trying to effect games in as many ways as possible. This is still a tough challenge. The first two games were tough and some would have looked at them and said we might not get anything. So of course I understand the locality of this and the importance of that to Evertonians quite obviously but on paper if you were to go, 'would you take three points out of those two games?' I think most people would go, 'okay'.
"That is the start point. I don't remember being too high last weekend when we gave a good performance and beat the leaders. I remember being quite balanced about it. So I am quite balanced tonight with what I seen."
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