Sean Dyche praised his players at the end of a gruelling week in which Everton earned two valuable points in difficult circumstances.
The Blues boss has been without a host of key players for tough games at Fulham and then at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. Jarrad Branthwaite’s 94th minute equaliser meant Everton went unbeaten in both and picked up two important points.
Speaking after the 2-2 draw with Spurs, Dyche said he was pleased with a performance he believed could have earned his side a win.
But he denied there was any additional ploy in this match to target opposition keeper Guglielmo Vicario, who was put under intense pressure from set pieces – the source of both Everton goals.
Asked what he thought of a performance that saw his side twice recover from going behind to goals from former Blue Richarlison, Dyche said: “I am very pleased, from top to bottom, with the way the team took on the work after a late night down at Fulham. The commitment to the cause is evident, as was some of the quality. They are a very good side and we know that. They started well and scored a very good goal… Sometimes that can give you a kickstart and we went on the front foot and took the game on with a lot more intent and played very well. At half-time I just said to the players that was a really, really good half so we had to keep believing and keep that going into the second half because sometimes the biggest challenge is accepting you are doing alright even if it has given you nothing. We kept our levels really high and I certainly felt we deserved at least an equaliser, if not to take all three points. But I thought that down at their place [where Everton lost 2-1].”
Everton have improved their threat from set pieces significantly in Dyche’s 12 months at the club and Jack Harrison and Branthwaite each scored after balls were swung into the area from a corner and free-kick, respectively. There appeared to be a switch to targeting Vicario by placing the ball under his crossbar – as opposed to Everton’s most common approach of aiming for players at the back post. The tactic worked – Vicario failed to deal with the crosses for both goals and struggled with others too, just about scrambling to clear when Ben Godfrey headed one corner goalwards.
Dyche said there was no tailored approach to the opposition, simply that his team works on being as effective as possible at set plays. He said: “We want to be competitive on set pieces all over the pitch. My staff spend a lot of time on analysis to make the best chances they can from set pieces. Delivery is massively important and the intent and desire to go and score a goal. That is a large part of what we keep drilling into the players. I think it is evident that there is an intent to score a goal. We do look a threat. There is no story there, it is just about the way that we work. I don’t always look at the opposition – we are aware of them but mostly it is about what we do and I think we are a threat.”
