Everton fans have been de-void of happiness for over three years arguably, catapulted with their latest dilemma in November when the club suffered a 10 point deduction for financial irregularities. However, lately on the pitch the teams performances have dissipated the toxic atmosphere at the club, where fans have been given optimism and hope under Sean Dyche.
On Saturday, their was scepticism that Everton's three game winning streak was under threat against newly promoted Burnley after Sean Dyche was forced to make four changes after being decimated with injuries in the week.
The inclusions of Ben Godfrey, Nathan Patterson, Michael Keane and Amadou Onana proved to be a seamless transition with Everton securing a hard-fought 2-0 victory, the first time the club has recorded four straight league wins since 2020.
Everton have taken 22 points from their last ten games, only bettered in the league by title rivals Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal. This magnificent run has seen seven wins, two draws and one solitary loss to Manchester United, including successive wins at Goodison Park against Chelsea and Newcastle.
The win at Turf Moor against Dyche's former club, saw Everton claim four consecutive clean sheets for the first time since 2002 during David Moyes' tenure with the Toffees boasting the joint third best defensive record in the league, conceding only 20 goals.
Without the club's 10 point sanction for breaching financial fair play they would currently be one point outside of the European spots in 10th position on 26 points after eight wins this campaign.
Instead, the Merseyside club are in 16th place but their recent form has propelled them to six points above the relegation zone and where in the past two seasons they have required final day victories to escape relegation its clear that will not be the case this season even with their points deduction.
Sean Dyche was appointed manager of Everton in late January last season, and endured a turbulent final four months of the Premier League campaign winning only five of his 18 games in charge.
Just as he was walking through the door at Goodison Park, star player Antony Gordon was leaving to join Newcastle in a £42m transfer and the 52 year old was not provided a replacement for the 22 year old.
He also entered a deflated and fragmented dressing room, which was void of confidence after the dismal season under Frank Lampard. This affected Dyche's impact at the club because it was a slow process to instil his philosophy into the squad and he faced a monumental challenge in solidifying a vulnerable defense and bringing attacking fluidity.
Abdoulaye Doucoure's dramatic final day winning goal against Bournemouth to seal survival in the top flight, did not dissipate the murmurs of discontent and scepticism towards Dyche's managerial capabilities.
The former Burnley manager faced intense scrutiny at this start of this season after just one point in their opening five games, with fans frustrated with the potential of yet another miserable season for their club.
The turning point was the surprise 3-1 away victory against an inform Brentford side, with 10 ten wins from their following 14 games including reaching the Quarter Finals of the EFL Cup.
It appears Dyche has used the injustice of their 10 point deduction to inspire his players, instilling togetherness and solidarity within his team where on the pitch they are operating like a well-oiled machine.
His direct long-ball approach is not aesthetic or entertaining, but Dyche has given his side a distinct identity that all his players have bought into where they are very difficult to break down and are physically strong.
One of the fundamental improvements this season is the fluidity of the team, while they are 18th in the league for possession they have the highest direct speed in the league emphasising their efficiency at counter-attacking and moving the ball up the field.
Last season, they scored the lowest amount of goals in the league (34) and one of the main reasons for this was their over-reliance on the injury-prone Dominic Calvert-Lewin where they had no clinical goal scorer. While, the club did sign Udinese striker Beto for £30m in the summer, it has been the collective contribution from all the attacking players that has made Everton a more potent team in front of goal.
Abdoulaye Doucoure has been deployed in an advanced attacking midfield role this season and is enjoying his best goalscoring form in the Premier League since 2017-18 with six goals. He also has applied pressure 664 times in the league this campaign which is 100 times more than the next best, showing how effective Everton are in winning the ball back and pressing this season.
Notorious as a no-nonsense manager who often in the past has overlooked integrating youth, this season we have seen a shift with Dyche eager to integrate academy prodigies like Jarrad Brathwaite and Lewis Dobbin into the first team.
This has all made Everton a very exciting team to follow this season, and it brings hope and optimism for the future with fans finally seeing a plan and identity in their team.
Written by Lewis Eadie
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