Sean Dyche acknowledged too many of his side were below par as Everton slumped to a disappointing 2-0 defeat at Manchester United.
Goals from Scott McTominay and Anthony Martial sealed the three points for the hosts but in reality the scoreline could have been far worse. Dyche accepted this as he spoke after the match.
While Jordan Pickford made a series of fine saves, the Everton manager said “basic errors” proved costly. McTominay burst free of Amadou Onana for United's first goal and their second came after Seamus Coleman miscontrolled when attempting to cut out a long ball from Lisandro Martinez.
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Dyche said: “Too many stepped slightly off their performance levels today. There were a number who played very well but being slightly off is enough when you come to places like this.”
The Blues boss was forced into changes as a result of Abdoulaye Doucoure’s suspension after his red card against Tottenham Hotspur on Monday. Doucoure had started each of Dyche’s games in charge and his manager attempted to deal with that by bringing in Ellis Simms and moving to 4-4-2. It was the first time Dyche did not start with five in midfield at Everton.
Asked to what extent the tactical changes influenced a match in which Bruno Fernandes’ balls over the top repeatedly exposed the the Blues' defence, Dyche suggested the issue was predominantly a psychological one. He said: “It was just basic errors. We didn’t get the press on. It wasn’t so much the back four, you have got to get the press on as well. And if people are looking at the quarterback position [played by Fernandes], as I like to call it, and they are ready to unload, the defence has got to be ready for that. But the press is the important part.
“Simms is learning about that. He is a young player in Premier League terms, he is still learning about when to press, and how important it is to press and defend from the front. Dimi [Demarai Gray], we are working on that side of his game anyway because we know his technical ability, but [also at] how many times can you defend from the front and how many times can you defend in the wide areas. It is an education along the way of trying to win games, of trying to re-form a side in a different way, and look at different ways of winning games and different ways of making sure you don’t get beat.
“It is a work in progress, it is not just about the back four and someone playing a longer pass, it is not just about that, it is about the details of the team and how we prevent that. We have been doing that pretty well to be fair, you have to remember it is a different type of judgement when you are playing against teams of this quality, you look around the group there and the investment is massive, it is there for a reason and they are very good players.”
Dyche pointed to the missed opportunity by Simms at 0-0 as having the potential to change the game, adding: “We didn’t defend well enough from the front. It is not completely natural to those two players [Simms and Gray] but we thought we could maybe quell it a bit quicker and that allows the rest of the team more chance to format a defensive shape if you like.
“The challenge of football, basically, is if Simmsy whacks one in the corner when he goes through then we might look at it all differently… then you would have looked and said it was a good decision [to start him]. That’s how fine tactics are.”
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