Seven right-backs, three comebacks, zero points: an analysis of Everton’s disastrous season

Seven right-backs, three comebacks and zero points. Everton’s start to the season could prove to be their worst ever. It could reach critical proportions if they lose what could be their first six-point loss of the season against Leicester on Saturday.

As it is, it was both typical – slow stars seem to be a feature of both Everton and Sean Dyche, as if neither had discovered that an early win and a few weeks in mid-table would be less stressful – and yet not in his character. Dyche’s teams were supposed to be able to protect leads. They were rarely effective, so victories required clean sheets and defensive skill. Then came their attempt to illustrate the footballing cliché that 2-0 is the most dangerous lead, losing by two goals in the 86th minute to Bournemouth and two at Aston Villa. Exiting the FA Cup to Southampton after leading again, only to concede in un-Dychean style a free-kick header, made it three successive defeats in which Everton had set themselves up for success.

Ashley Young sealed the deal by missing a penalty. Young was booed, partly because he came on for a striker, partly because only Dyche, it seems, still has faith in his 39-year-old former team-mate. Young has been the first of seven right-backs this season: the worst, some Everton fans might say.

His vaguely comical red card in the opening game against Brighton, misjudging a long pass, pulling back the much quicker Kaoru Mitoma, left winger Dwight McNeil and centre-back Mason Holgate in that role for the rest of the match. Then teenager Roman Dixon played for a few games, captain Seamus Coleman before, unsurprisingly, getting injured. As Everton fell apart at Villa Park, centre-back Jake O’Brien and midfielder James Garner rotated there.

If that’s a curiosity, there are causes and consequences. This is Everton in the austerity era, with a net profit in the transfer market in each of the last three years. Even in that context, perhaps only Dyche would give Young an extended contract: he doesn’t seem to value the oft-injured Nathan Patterson, and when Kieran Trippier was mentioned as a target, it seemed only Everton would sign him to bring down the average age of their right-backs.

But the goals came from a lack of depth in that position: Mitoma was the first player to score against Everton this season. All three of Bournemouth’s goals came from crosses: had Vitaliy Mykolenko been covering the far post, Coleman could have cut out at least one central opening; perhaps two. Villa’s second came from a mistake by winger Jack Harrison, who had dropped back to right-back, and Dixon made an ill-advised tackle on Ryan Fraser, allowing Southampton to equalise.

And if Dyche’s philosophy is based on eliminating mistakes, then this season he has made plenty of them, uncharacteristically: Idrissa Gueye conceded a goal against Brighton, Jordan Pickford against Tottenham.

Everton’s troubles at the start of the season

2024-25

Everton 0-3 Bright

Tottenham 4-0 Everton

Everton 3-0 Doncaster, League Cup

Everton 2-3 Bournemouth

Aston Villa 3-2 Everton

Everton 1-1 (5-6 penalties) SouthamptonEnglish League Cup

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Leicester vs Everton, Saturday 21st September

Everton vs Crystal Palace, Saturday 28th September

Everton vs Newcastle, Saturday 5th October

Dyche’s classic teams exude a reassuring solidity. This Everton team has felt open and fragile. There are a number of reasons for this. But first it may be important to note one that is not a factor: the departure of Amadou Onana. Well, having started at Aston Villa, while the Belgian’s talents prepare him for better teams, he probably didn’t even feature in the strongest team last season. Selling him for £50m to make the PSR was a compromise that Dyche and every Everton fan could have welcomed.

His replacement, Tim Iroegbunam, has started promisingly; as a unit, at least. Everton have lost some of their solidity and structure. Iliman Ndiaye’s bright start may be further confirmation of director of football Kevin Thelwell’s ability to spot talent; it may also show that even Dyche realises he needs to be more progressive at Everton than he was at Burnley. Against both Bournemouth and Villa, Everton scored twice and created several good chances.

Dyche’s teams, however, have struggled to keep the ball: their 35.2 per cent possession and 75.2 per cent pass success rate are, unsurprisingly, the worst in the division. With a much-changed squad, they had just 26 per cent of the ball at home to Southampton.

That means running without the ball, running further and faster than fresher opponents. Which is harder when their players are older. Young is 39, Coleman 35, Gueye 34, James Tarkowski, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Michael Keane are all 31. Perhaps fatigue is getting to them.

Dyche, meanwhile, has been reluctant to use substitutes – he has made just 14 changes from a possible 20 in the Premier League this season, with six of those coming after the 80th minute – at a time when they appear to be increasingly effective attacking weapons for others. The substitutes have three goals and three assists against Everton this season, but none for them. Everton have failed to score a league goal since the 58th minute and conceded eight.

Improvement is not impossible. Everton started to come together in the second half of September last season. After the success of stopping Jarrad Branthwaite in the summer, he has yet to feature but could strengthen the defence. Once Iroegbunam and Ndiaye are fully integrated, Everton could have their youthful spark without being too fragile.

And the visit to Leicester is a reminder of a turning point in their recent history: in May 2023, two relegation-threatened teams drew 2-2, but only after Pickford saved James Maddison’s penalty to stop Everton from losing 3-1. But if Everton have spent much of the past three years trying to avoid relegation, the first step to another escape has to be a point.