Sean Dyche has made an instant impact at Everton, turning a team devoid of ideas into one who deservedly beat the league leaders. The blueprint for how Everton will play under their new manager was clear to see.
His glorious first day in charge was more reminiscent of Joe Royle’s bloodhounds of the mid-Nineties, his players scampering at Arsenal’s heels to secure the shock result of this Premier League season.
In 1994, Everton were bottom of the Premier League and Royle’s rescue operation began with a towering Duncan Ferguson header against Liverpool from Andy Hinchcliffe’s corner in front of the rejuvenated Gwladys Street stand.
When James Tarkowski met Dwight McNeil’s delivery it was the perfect imitation, only this time the winner was handcrafted in Burnley. Setpiece prowess will be a huge weapon under Dyche. Every delivery was received like a hand grenade by Arsenal keeper Aaron Ramsdale.
By the final stages, every corner won was greeted by the home team like a penalty.
Asked before the game where Everton most needed improvement, Dyche pointed at both ends of the pitch, but there are fundamentals he relies upon, thus Everton ran harder, made more tackles and were far more direct in their willingness to hit forward man Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Unleashing Onana
Young Belgian Amadou Onana is among those Arsenal considered for their midfield reinforcement. Everton were more concerned about bids materialising for him than Anthony Gordon. This tour de force performance explains why.
Onana won more tackles than anyone else, and nobody made more interceptions as Mikel Arteta’s side continuously passed into a cul-de-sac.
Demonstrating the freedom he was granted by Dyche, Onana also won possession most in the final third. He also had the most touches of any Everton player.
In the 4-5-1 set-up, Onana led the transition from defence into attack. At full time, he led the celebrations. On this evidence, Onana will be the next player Everton will be fighting to keep when the next transfer window opens.
Doucoure’s ‘return’
In the final days of Frank Lampard’s reign, Abdoulaye Doucoure was sent to train with the under-21s, having rarely featured. Dyche promised a clean slate. Working in tandem with Onana and Idrissa Gueye, he made Everton’s midfield unrecognisable, often pressing from the front to ensure Arsenal could not pass through the zones.
“I’m not questioning anyone else, but you have a feel of players and what they can give the team,” said Dyche, who has been eager not to sound disrespectful to his predecessor during his first week.
“He [Doucoure] is someone I always liked. He trained well this week and had a smile on his face. That is hard when things are not going great.”
Galvanising Goodison
Like Lampard last season, Dyche knows if he can weaponise Goodison Park, everyone can be beaten.
There is a beauty in the raw aggression of this style of football, and in Dyche the supporters might have found a kindred spirit. The afternoon began with a peaceful march of around 1,000 supporters towards the stadium, demonstrating against the board.
But such rancour did not penetrate the 90 minutes. “The fans were terrific, they have given us an immediate start point, creating it and then us joining in with it,” said Dyche.
The Sunday Telegraph in London
