Sean Dyche’s footballing philosophy does have a reputation that seems to precede it before he arrives at a club. Indeed, the no-nonsense ex-Burnley manager is renowned for his pragmatism which is based on a results-at-all-costs approach.
The 51-year-old’s detractors will say that it comes at the expense of a brand of football that is easy on the eye but then again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and there are few things more pleasing than watching your team win football matches. Essentially, Dyche has enjoyed a successful managerial career given that football is a results business and there are few better than him at producing them.
Shooting down the Gunners
Dyche’s unfailing knack for providing uncomplicated solutions against superior opposition was again evident when the Toffees beat table toppers Arsenal during Dyche’s first game in charge of Everton. It was a jaw-dropping result for many reasons but above all, stopping a rampant Arsenal was proving nearly impossible up until that point. Keep in mind that in addition to being tipped to run Manchester City all the way in the Premier League, the Gunners are also one of the best sides in Europe.
The latest UEFA Europa League outright winner odds prove as much with Mikel Arteta’s men the overwhelming favourites to win the competition at a price of just 10/3. The point here about Arsenal’s trailblazing season is that there was nothing remotely easy about picking up a depleted Everton side and putting one of the standout clubs in world football to the sword.
It was, undoubtedly, a winning performance that underlined what Dyche demands most from his team: a compact 4-4-2 low block that seeks to capitalize on set-pieces, hold-up play, and crosses into the box from open play. The encouraging news for Everton fans is that there probably isn’t a striker in the Premier League who is more suited to this straightforward style than Dominic Calvert-Lewin given how prolific the 25-year-old is at keeping possession and scoring with his head.
In fact, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to imagine that his partnership with Dyche could be made in heaven.
Dyche’s miracles
To get a better appreciation of why the duo might enjoy an incredibly productive working relationship, fans only need to cast their minds back to Dyche’s success over his time at Turf Moor where he continued to pull rabbits out the that every season by keeping Burnely in the Premier League. But it wasn’t just a rearguard action that Dyche oversaw in Lancashire when you consider that under his management in 2018, Burnley secured European football qualification for the first time in 51 years after reaching the Europa League.
Ultimately, this matters because Dyche only had the services of Chris Wood, Ashley Barnes, and Jay Rodriguez to call on in attack while defying the odds with Burnley. With all due respect to those players, none of them have the same ability as Calvert-Lewin who at just 25, has registered 11 caps for England while scoring four times.
In essence, if Dyche can take a team to Europe with an attack force that has obvious limitations, then what will he be able to do at Everton when he has a fit Calvert-Lewin at his services? Make no mistake, Dyche’s direct style will be a breath of fresh air for Everton’s number nine who will thrive under his new manager’s influence.