Sean Dyche has asked his Everton team to rediscover the balance between a defensive organization while also offering clinical merit in attack.
The Toffees host Tottenham Hotspur at Goodison Park on Saturday (12:30 GMT) for the Blues’ match of the week, following Tuesday’s goalless draw at Fulham.
Ange Postecoglou’s visitors, fresh off a 3-2 win over Brentford, remain the only team to have scored in one and both Premier League games this season, scoring in their last 34 games in the competition.
However, they face a Blues side which has picked up four clean sheets in their past five outings. Meanwhile, since the start of December, Everton have kept more Premier League clean sheets than any other team (six in nine games).
“The strength of the organization came from front to back,” Dyche said in Thursday’s pregame press conference. “We ask the centre-forwards to play their role, protecting from the front, and the full-backs running in midfield and at the back 4 or 5.
“Now, the real key moments when you do either of the two things, and that’s the biggest challenge in football, is to do it well: protect well and attack well. “
Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has played a role in Everton’s defensive form, and the goalkeeper has kept more blank sheets in the Premier League this season (eight) than any other goalkeeper.
On how England’s No. 1 continues to perform well with the Blues’ defence, Dyche explained: “I think he sees the picture well because the organisation of the team looked smart in front of him and obviously the goalkeepers can see how the team acts. – the miles, the distances, the way they paint as a collective, and I think he’s enjoying that in front of him.
“So yes, it’s a smart move on the part of a goalkeeper, when he thinks the design is smart. I think it gives them confidence and, in the same way, it also gives confidence to the defensive side of the team.
Despite the drop in the number of goals, Everton created chances and lately averaged 14 per game, the seventh-most in the division.
However, the Toffees scored 24 goals out of a total of 33. 1 expected goals, representing a poor performance in the league.
Asked about the statistics on side, Dyche responded: “It tells you we have got a competitive side that is performing in the right way to create all those [chances], but you have got to score a goal. The braveness to miss is always key for me.
“A lot of the functionality stats are very good, but you have to take advantage of those stats by scoring on one side and saving on the other. That’s something that hasn’t changed. We were tasked with making sure we’re focused on that, but it’s fantastic that the team is effective in creating those opportunities.
“It’s about organization and collective ownership. We ask them to act as an organization defensively and we ask them to act offensively, which they do. It is also a shared responsibility. I talked to the players about the fact that everyone scores a goal. .
“It’s not just one person, it’s everyone. I think the attitude is smart in that sense and the statistics are the performance.
“The balance is there, but the last moment is actually the one that will pay off. That moment of clarity in front of the goal or that last pass, that last delivery, that’s the icing on the cake, so to speak. “.
With the press conference taking place on the final day of the January move window, Dyche was asked about conceivable transactions involving his team during the remaining hours.
Stressing the importance of keeping his current squad together, Dyche added: “The balance I’ve talked about a number of times is of course the advertising and monetary aspect, but we’re also not in a position where we want to start wasting players. That’s a key detail for me as the manager of the band we have, especially as it stands. We are very committed to keeping this organization together. That will be the goal.
“We know it’s a season’s work and we need everyone currently and ever more so with the injuries that we’ve got.”