Sean Dyche is running out of words to explain Everton’s dismal home form. The Blues boss acknowledged he was a “broken record” as he responded to questions about his side’s fourth home defeat of the campaign. He pointed to a glut of missed opportunities and organisational frustration at the back as lying at the root of the defeat to Luton Town. But he was at a loss to explain why his players continue to waste chances at Goodison Park – particularly after a week in which they displayed such ruthlessness at Brentford and Aston Villa. He was clear in his disappointment over the result, one he appeared to accept had undermined some of the signs of progress that had emerged from the previous week.
Everton have now lost every one of the club’s home games this season, a worrying run that few expected would be extended against a team that is favourite for an immediate return to the Championship. But goals from Tom Lockyer and Carlton Morris gave a newly-promoted team a first win of the season despite Dominic Calvert-Lewin bringing his side back into the match just before half time.
Asked for his thoughts,
Sean Dyche said: “I am disappointed in the result, obviously. On the performance, it is broken record time. We dominated so much of the game and gave away really poor goals and didn’t take our chances. I have spoken endlessly about changing the story and it is our responsibility. We had a brilliant chance today, I thought. A platform to begin the process of changing the story, the depth of it, the last two years, all of the noise and all the rest of it. And we didn’t take it. That is no disrespect to Luton. They have worked hard. They have done exactly what you do when you are new to the division. They worked hard, they kept their shape, they have run so hard, they have played forwards, they have asked questions in the sense of getting set pieces and they have won a game – from doing the really hard, ugly side of the game. We get to that point where we do it – we did it against Brentford and played really well. We did it on Wednesday and played very well. Not just the good stuff but all of the hard yards, all of the details. It comes to today. The crowd is ready. Everyone is ready for the story to change, and we don’t step up. And that is that difference. That is what we have got to change.”
There were similarities between the performance against Luton and the defeats to Fulham and Wolverhampton in L4 this season as Everton were punished for failing to take a host of chances. It meant a day of disappointment when many had hoped the club would build on the momentum created during the week and give home supporters an opportunity to celebrate for the first time since the win against Bournemouth that secured Premier League survival on the final day of the campaign. Asked why he thought his players had failed to take advantage of the platform created this week,
Sean Dyche said: “It is a two year story we are trying to change. I don’t know whether the players get that in their heads or the noise, I don’t know, because I think we had 23 efforts at goal. I don’t know how many we have to create constantly to score goals and we will keep doing it – the challenge is to keep doing it because it will turn, we will win games. But then there are the details at the other end. I have spoken endlessly about. We can all debate styles but the two boxes are where it is at. That is what we have to change here. We are creating enough chances to change games, we don’t always score as many as we obviously should do, and then we are letting in pretty soft goals. Credit to them but not for us. They are pretty soft goals, they are organisational things and just having the will and desire to attack the ball and react quickly. That is all the difference was.”
