Humble Pie
What a difference a week makes...
Three days. Two games. Six points.
Everton are not out of the woods yet, but they are closing in on Premier League survival. Ten days on from slumping to a 6-0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, the Toffees have since beat Nottingham Forest and, all importantly, their arch-rivals Liverpool.
Both wins came at Goodison Park, where Everton have now won their last three fixtures. Both finished 2-0. And Everton, finally, have safety within their grasp.
It has been a long and arduous campaign, littered with points deductions and a record-breaking winless run. In normal circumstances, Wednesday’s magnificent derby victory — their first at Goodison Park since 2010 — would have taken Everton onto 41 points, above the (un)official mark for guaranteed survival.
But it has not been a normal season. Everton are not yet sure of their Premier League status, but they have found their verve again. It had been missing since the turn of the year, in that dismal streak of one league victory in 16 matches. Yet perhaps that defeat to Chelsea really did mark the nadir, and finally kicked the players, management and everyone at a club that was sleepwalking into disaster back into action.
Off the pitch, it is still a mess, though not as quite as messy as it once was, perhaps. Sure, 777 Partners are yet to complete their takeover, but that surely becomes more likely as Everton edge ever closer to ensuring they remain a top-flight team.
And what of the manager? Sean Dyche has received criticism, and rightly so. There is far too much black and white at times in Everton’s fanbase — those who feel the need to pin the blame on Dyche for everything are just as wrong as those who insist he cannot take any share of the responsibility.
This writer has certaintly criticised him. He is fortunate that the chaos that has engulfed the club has, essentially, kept him in a job — although by the same token, that chaos has made his job even tougher. That being said, Dyche has made any good fortune count and, in the last two matches, has found something that works. So, I’ll eat my slice of humble pie.
But perhaps Dyche already gobbled his.
For too long in the drab days of January, February and March, Dyche seemed to be resistant to change. But in the wake of that ludicrously bad display at Stamford Bridge, he appears to have realised something needed to switch.
Sure, the change to the tracksuit has caught attention, but small tactical tweaks — tweaks that had been missing for too long — have played much more of a part in this mini-upturn than the casual wear.
The players, too, must take responsibility. It is those players who have missed golden chances all season long. Those players that, even with points deductions looming over them, could have had this club out of danger had they simply shown the spark and drive that has been back in abundance in the past two matches.
Idrissa Gueye’s return to the line-up has been pivotal. The Senegal international, who must be tied down to a new contract, has provided that drive in the middle, that tenacity, and after his crucial goal against Nottingham Forest, harried and hassled Liverpool’s midfield. James Garner, dragged off at half-time against Chelsea, stepped up to be counted against the Reds. Jarrad Branthwaite continues to add a few million to his price tag with every passing game. James Tarkowski has remembered he is the on-pitch captain of one of England’s greatest clubs.
And then there was Dominic Calvert-Lewin who, simply put, was sensational — his goal on Wednesday was the classic Everton centre-forward goal; a towering header at the Gwladys Street.
If the club could bottle that feeling, that moment, it wouldn’t have any financial difficulties.
Sure, Everton have rode their luck. They could have conceded three penalties against Forest. Liverpool missed some golden chances in the first half, and Luis Diaz hit the woodwork. But luck is not something Everton have often had on their side this season. They’ll take the rub of the green when they can get it.
The job is not done. Too many Evertonians thought the job was done on the back of a four-game winning streak in December. Brentford rock up to Goodison Park on Saturday, and as Dyche said, the challenge is now on the players to deliver again.
But as chants of “You lost the league at Goodison Park” echoed around the Grand Old Lady, there was a feeling that this Grand Old Team are very nearly there in ensuring that was the penultimate Premier League derby, and not the last, at the famous old stadium.
Patric is a journalist at Stats Perform and is a regular contributor to Toffee TV and Opta Analyst, while he has attended high-profile events including the UEFA Super Cup and 2022 FIFA World Cup.
(Follow: @PatricRidge)