Everton failed to sign any new players for Sean Dyche on transfer deadline day despite the £45m sale of Anthony Gordon.
It means the 51-year-old will have to rely heavily on his coaching skills, working with what he already has at his disposal, as he aims to drag the Toffees out of the Premier League relegation zone.
It has only been two days since Everton announced the arrival of Dyche on Merseyside, but he has already made one major change to training at Finch Farm.
What’s the story?
Well, previous management regimes – including Frank Lampard’s reign – saw players turn up for training at Finch Farm without any shinpads.
Dyche has immediately changed that in order to inject a bit of intensity into training sessions, ordering his squad to wear match socks or trousers over shin pads to keep standards high.
You can see a photo of training under Lampard below – where shin pads are nowhere to be seen – compared to Dyche’s sessions so far.
It may not seen like a major change, but it is often the little things like this which can have a significant impact on changing the culture at a football club, something Everton desperately need.
Previously, the absence of shin pads would surely have led to some hesitation from the Everton players in regards to challenging their teammates too strongly, which seemed to spill over into matchdays, where the Toffees looked timid.
Now, the intensity levels are likely to increase, with players presumably set to take training more seriously under Dyche.
Dyche can save Everton
While many supporters are quite rightly furious that the Gordon money was not reinvested, Dyche has proven himself to be a fine coach when it comes to working without much money, as he showed at Burnley.
The Ginger Mourinho – as he is often referred to – has a solid foundation to work with in the likes of James Tarkowski, Conor Coady and Jordan Pickford at the back.
Further up the pitch, Amadou Onana provides a strong midfield presence who Dyche should love, while Dwight McNeil and Demarai Gray can provide the width in his 4-4-2.
Hopefully, despite little support from the board, Dyche can keep Everton in the Premier League.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
