Everton’s point against Brighton and Hove Albion yesterday was well worth it, and they may have even deserved more. After all, Lewis Dunk’s enormous late header crushed the hearts of the travelling supporters only four minutes before they were about to secure a crucial three points.
They had weathered a storm in the first half hour, and it appeared that the strategy had been performed to the letter as they continued to confound the hosts.
But after they established themselves, they really began to shine, occasionally even playing out of the back.
Great opportunities were missed by Abdoulaye Doucoure, Beto, and Jack Harrison; Jarrad Branthwaite was the only player to find the back of the net.
Roberto De Zerbi confirmed that his team ought to have won all three points despite this.
What Roberto De Zerbi said about Everton
He discussed the labour that went into scouting their opponents in a post-match interview.
From a tactical standpoint, everyone believes they understand Sean Dyche. Although his Burnley style was very obvious in its prime, not many could stop it.
At Everton, a similar philosophy is once again yielding positive results.
De Zerbi’s claim that they have their opponents figured out is therefore mostly meaningless. As he put it: “We knew and worked very hard for the second ball and the set pieces, which were the most important quality of Everton.” Perhaps insufficient.
Knowing and stopping Sean Dyche are two completely different things
It’s funny how frequently managers undervalue the 52-year-old’s tactical acumen without any justification.
While it’s true that he doesn’t have the same appearance as these young European strategists hoping to transform the game, these coaches frequently come and go without accomplishing anything significant on the greatest platform.
In the meantime, despite all the odds, Dyche managed to get the Clarets into the Premier League, keep them there, and even help them qualify for Europe.
He’s excelling again just by surviving with this Everton side now.
In all likelihood, everyone is aware of what his team will do.
They are a stiff, inflexible group that hold their shape and appear to break quickly. They are particularly good at set pieces; this season, in the league, only Arsenal has scored more goals from a dead ball than them.
But just realising that doesn’t really help to put an end to it. It works well for a reason, and its seeming simplicity does not take away from its effectiveness.
