Everton captain Seamus Coleman has now opened up on Sean Dyche and his first few days in charge. He believes the new coach has changed more than wearing shinpads in training.
The Toffees appointed Dyche to the Goodison Park helm this Monday after Farhad Moshiri sacked Frank Lampard. Everton sought a change in leadership with the club just 19th in the Premier League table. They have won a division-low three games from 20 matches played.
Just Southampton (13), Leicester City and West Ham United (12) have also lost more often than the Toffees (11) this season. While only Wolves (12) have scored fewer goals than the Merseyside club (15) during 2022/23 so far. Yet Everton rank 11th for goals conceded (28).
Lampard stood at the helm for just under a year before Moshiri felt the England icon’s role was untenable. Now, the Everton owner has tasked Dyche with keeping the Toffees in the top-flight. The Goodison club are one of the mere six ever-present Premier League outfits.
Everton are only two points from safety and just three points separate Leicester in 14th to Southampton in 20th. But Lampard did not win any of his final eight Premier League games in charge. He also fell to six defeats since they beat Crystal Palace at home on October 22.
Dyche inspires confidence in Coleman that Everton can avoid relegation
Dyche arrived on Merseyside after nine months out of game following his firing by Burnley last April. He was at Turf Moor for 10 years and led the Clarets to the Championship title in 2015/16. The 51-year-old also oversaw their promotion into the top-flight during 2013/14.
Burnley endured an immediate relegation back to the second-tier in the 2014/15 term. But after bouncing straight back up, Dyche took the Clarets to safety and they also qualified for the 2018/19 Europa League. The Lancashire club took seventh in the top-flight in 2017/18.
Dyche’s Burnley also avoided relegation in 2020/21. But the Kettering-born coach and the Clarets parted last year. Now, Coleman is confident that Dyche can help Everton stay in the top-flight having made instant changes from his first day overseeing training at Finch Farm.
“I am confident with the new manager coming in because he has proved it in the past and, hopefully, he can do it again,” Coleman has told talkSPORT. “He has been tough but he has been fair and he has been honest. He says it how it is.
“He did not manage in the Premier League for 10 or 11 years without having something about him. It is not just a case of him making us wear shinpads and socks [in training] or making us run, there is loads more to what he has brought to us already.
“We are still within touching distance of a lot of teams. So, I would like to flip all the negativity into thinking we can turn this around. I feel like a lot of talk is that it’s inevitable and some people are sitting, waiting and even hoping Everton go down.”
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
