Sean Dyche said he is working harder than at any point in his managerial career to correct Everton’s season but has made mistakes in the search for a winning formula.
The manager is in desperate need of victory against Wolves on Wednesday after only two league wins all season, no goals in the past four matches and fixtures against Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City to follow. He was left to lament an error-strewn performance in the 4-0 defeat at Manchester United on Sunday, but admits his players are not the only ones responsible for lapses this term.
“We’ve made errors for sure, I’ve made errors this season and the team have made errors,” Dyche said. “And we haven’t killed teams off when we’ve been in a position to do so. It’s a fact of life as a manager you have to get the fine margins right, and we haven’t so far this season.
“The errors I’ve made are tactical, picking the right team to see if you can find a different way. There’s so much work being done here, so many good things have been done, but I don’t even have to think that makes it all right. You’ve got to win games, and we haven’t won enough this season.”
Discontent is rising among Everton fans and a proposed takeover by the Friedkin Group, which is near completion, increases the pressure on Dyche to deliver results.
“Winning games is the glue that holds a fanbase together,” he said. “If you’re not winning, then dying for the cause, putting sweat on the shirt and believing in the badge is a big part of it. I certainly do that. Me, my staff and the players, sometimes we haven’t done it as well as we could do, but we work tirelessly, I can assure you. This is the most work I’ve done in all my years of management at this football club, without a shadow of a doubt.”
Dyche dropped Dominic Calvert-Lewin at Old Trafford and believes the out-of-form striker “has got more to offer”.
He has identified a bigger problem than a lack of quality in the final third, however. Dyche said: “The hardest challenge this year has definitely been that the finance goes down in the summer, and the expectation went up. It’s always difficult to manage when those two are not aligned.
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“We have got less money, fewer wages, fewer playing staff – but we have got to deliver on what the expectation is. Whether you or others think the players are good enough is absolutely irrelevant. Evertonians don’t care about that – just win. End of story. Dry your eyes.”