Our regular Everton fan jury talk at length about the issues of the week at Goodison Park.
Two second-half goals from Abdoulaye Doucoure and Lewis Dobbin helped Everton to a 2-0 victory over Chelsea on Sunday afternoon.
The victory helped Sean Dyche’s further move away from the relegation zone and made it three wins from four games since the Goodison Park club were docked ten points after being found guilty of breaching the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.
Off the pitch, all the fallout from the punishment imposed by the independent commission continues to dominate the news agenda, with influential fan group the 1878s hiring a van with a video screen to display campaign messages and banners outside the Premier League’s London base on Thursday afternoon.
Dyche makes his first return to Turf Moor since his Burnley sacking back in April 2022 on Saturday. And with that game in mind, our Everton jury has had their say on events at Goodison.
Alex McMonnies – I think we’re all confident
It has been some week to be an Evertonian.
We’ve seen back-to-back home victories over Newcastle and Chelsea, both won in very different fashion. On a chilly Thursday night, Sean Dyche’s side took advantage of a fatigued Magpies side and absolutely played them off the park, eventually settling for a resounding 3-0 scoreline at an electric Goodison Park.
And while the Geordies can make all the excuses they like, it must also be appreciated that the Toffees were missing their two starting central midfielders for the match, but that didn’t stop the team from putting in arguably the most dominant Everton performance in years.
The contrast to the match on Sunday wasn’t exactly stark, but there were definitely some noticeable differences. The game was played at a much lower tempo, and it was a more traditional example of digging deep and taking the chances when they fell to you, which is exactly what the Toffees did.
The sheer jubilation that met Lewis Dobbin’s strike hitting the back of the net and confirming the three points was palpable. The purity of the young lad’s celebration of his first senior goal for the club was arguably one of the moments of the season so far.
This week has given us a really good look at Dyche’s team, and it seems clear that he has instilled such a sense of confidence in this group of players that they now possess more than one way of winning matches.
On their day, they are capable of outperforming some of the best clubs in the country, and on others, they now have sufficient self-belief to hit teams on the break and convert any opportunities that come their way. It could not be further from the mood at the beginning of the season.
Next up is the gaffer’s first return to Turf Moor since the Clarets called time on his nine-and-a-half-year reign as manager in April 2022. After the week that’s just gone, I think we’re all confident he’ll be able to ‘ignore the noise’, to use a Dyche-ism, and deliver another excellent result for the Toffees.
Luke Davies – Onwards, Evertonians!
Well, here we are again. Winning has become quite the habit for Everton. I almost expected us to beat Chelsea on Sunday. That alone shows how far this Everton team has come since Sean Dyche took charge last January.
Many have questioned Dyche, including myself. Many fall into the trap of labelling him as a defensive manager. We now see him as an efficient manager, leading an efficient team.
By no means are our players world-class, but they work hard. They work hard for Dyche. They work hard for each other. They work hard for their supporters.
The work ethic was apparent against Chelsea; we simply wanted the three points more than the visitors, similar to the thrashing of Newcastle United last week.
Lewis Dobbin deserves a mention; he deserved his goal. I’ve watched him closely lately in games against Monaco, Athletic Club and Southampton. The 20-year-old looks levels above his young counterparts; he will be an excellent addition to the side.
I love this team and this team can achieve great things. Let’s not suggest a League Cup win come February, but I would not be shocked in the slightest. For now, we still aren’t clear of the drop; we will be soon.
The true League table would see Everton sitting in 10th position, just three points behind the European places. I’ve said it before: We are not a relegation side. We are nowhere remotely close to a relegation side.
Moving forward, the Burnley game on Saturday could prove difficult. Vincent Kompany’s side has won just one game at home.
However, both Jarrad Branthwaite and Idrissa Gueye are suspended. I am not worried about the return of Amadou Onana; he looked classy against Chelsea. However, the centre-back problem is a worry. Does he go with Michael Keane? Does he go with Ben Godfrey?
If I am honest, I don’t trust either of them. However, I’d go with Michael Keane, who has experienced Premier League football alongside James Tarkowski. The rest of the team picks itself.
Paul McParlan – I’m a believer!
Christmas came unexpectedly early for Everton fans last week with two stunning wins that silenced those loveable bare-chested Geordies from Newcastle and outfoxed former European Super League members Chelsea.
Few Evertonians would have expected six points from those two games, but Sean Dyche is starting to make a habit of confounding expectations. What the manager has done so well is to improve every aspect of the performance of his players, who clearly believe in his methods.
The transformation in the fortunes of Abdoulaye Doucoure, who was frozen out by Frank Lampard, has been simply astounding, and his goals have been a vital weapon in Everton’s armoury. The intensity of training is reaping rewards, with everyone prepared to run that extra yard for ninety minutes.
It is the fittest Everton squad I have seen for a long time. The team is disciplined and well organised, and they are playing in a system where everyone knows their roles and responsibilities. The seamless introductions of Nathan Patterson and Amadou Onana in the second half against Chelsea only served to emphasise this. And suddenly Dyche has found the Midas touch with his substitutions, with both Beto and Lewis Dobbin coming off the bench to score.
The improvement in home form has arrived at the right time. The last five games here have produced three wins, one draw, and one defeat, yielding 10 points out of 15. Suddenly, with a vociferous, vocal support behind them, Goodison Park has become a fortress again. And who didn’t love the fans singing about what the Premier League could do with their points deduction?
And let’s not forget that there is the impending League Cup clash with Fulham on Tuesday. It would make for a very merry Christmas if we could win on Saturday and then progress to the semi-final of the League Cup as well.
Now, under a manager who exudes a calm air of authority in every word he utters, Everton fans are starting to realise that Sean Dyche is someone they can believe in! I just hope that Real Madrid does not come calling anytime soon.
