Sean Dyche’s situation at Everton is coming under more and more scrutiny, and his own words this past weekend have the feeling that they could spell the end for the Toffees manager.
The former Burnley manager has only been in charge since January, when he took Frank Lampard’s place. However, after keeping the team in the Premier League on the final day of last season, he has only amassed one point in five games following the 1-0 loss to Arsenal on September 17th.
When questioned about the challenges the club has had under his leadership, Dyche has generally kept things in perspective. However, in remarks to Sky Sports prior to the match against Mikel Arteta’s team, the tone appeared to have changed.
It’s still early in the season, but last year was unquestionably the most difficult in my career as a football player, according to Dyche.
You can’t tell every story, but what we’re trying to figure out internally, winning games, all the rumors, all the commotion, down to the final game of the season, injuries, everything that could go wrong going wrong, is very, very difficult to manage.
We managed to put everything together, field a squad, and win a sufficient number of games. Going into the summer, I had the impression that there might be a few more players available to shuffle the pack.
In terms of money you mean? asked Vicky Gomersall.
Yeah and options, Dyche continued, that wasn’t the case. But I’ve always been a great believe in tell me what to manage and I’ll manage it. I’ll certainly manage it the best I can, and no excuses. There is no excuses, it’s just realities.”
Dyche simply isn’t the sort of manager to go down the Antonio Conte route and publicly explode about a situation he is unhappy about, as the former title winner with Chelsea did before his exit from Tottenham
However, the implication that the difficulties have been greater than even he anticipated appears clear, and mentioning the fact that finances proved even tighter than he expected this summer both indicates that he may feel he is operating under worse conditions than had been promised, and that he is distancing himself from some of the criticism leveled at his side.
He is not immune because his Everton team is far from the efficient unit he built on a shoestring budget at Burnley and is frequently less than the sum of its parts, but the off-field uncertainty and the enormous pressure to avoid relegation amid financial concerns appear to be a uniquely trying set of circumstances.
Alluding to needing to settle difficulties “inside” while stating that he “can’t tell every story” suggests that he has frequently put on a brave face in tough situations.
With owner Farhad Moshiri having agreed to sell to 777 Partners, which may or may not happen in the coming months, the upheaval is showing no signs of abating, and whether it is driven from Dyche’s side or the club’s, it is beginning to feel like he may follow in the footsteps of his predecessor.
The newest move overshadowed preparations for the Arsenal match, and it was criticized by minority shareholders since it is not the first time it has happened, and it is possible that the manager believes he is in an impossible situation.
