Sean Dyche has challenged his goal shy Everton team to increase their scoring output through the ‘freedom’ produced by others thinking they can’t do it.
The Blues have netted just 17 goals in 24 Premier League games so far this season, the lowest tally in the top flight. They have struck twice in a match on just two occasions, in the 2-1 comeback win at Southampton and 3-0 home victory over Crystal Palace – both in October – and Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa at Goodison Park was 10th time they’ve drawn a blank this term.
Dyche said: “I think to be fair and I don’t know all of the stats, it has been a worry for a while so if they have been disheartened then eventually they say, ‘sod it we are not disheartened anymore because guess what, we have seen all that before, we have heard all the rhetoric, heard all the noise.’
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“If everyone is disappointed there is only one way: it either stays the status quo or it goes upwards. I am saying ‘look lads you have the freedom, never more so than before, you have the freedom because everyone thinks you won’t.’
“They have the freedom to say if people think we won’t, what is the worst that can happen? I am trying to get that mentality going and saying, ‘look lads you won’t be hearing from me as long as you are working with conviction to score goals’ and they go ‘alright I will take that.’
“It is just when they are a bit unsure and the runs are not clinical and not getting enough bodies in the box. When you see someone that is clinical there is a belief in it, a body language and that is the bit that is just a bit off at the minute.
“Everyone is wondering who is going to score, ‘can it be me?’ That comes with continued work and belief.”
With Dominic Calvert-Lewin still injured, Everton’s main striker Neal Maupay, who has netted once in 19 games for the club, has struck 93 times in 330 matches throughout his career but his supporting cast of attacking midfielders, Dwight McNeil, Alex Iwobi and Demarai Gray – of which only two have been starting under Dyche – have just 65 goals between them in a combined total of 768 career appearances among the trio (one goal in almost 12 games).
Dyche insists he remains unconcerned by such numbers though and said: “You talk about development in football, so you are trying to develop players in all areas. You can only ask questions of the opposition in so many ways and that is what we are looking to do.
“We are looking at styles, different ways of getting it into the box, can we pass it, cross it, can we play diags (diagonal balls), can we ask as many questions as possible to bring the best out of those situations. I know the stats and facts of the group we have got but it is still the group we have got.
“That is the task, it is continually looking at ways of operating, continually looking at ways to open the opposition up and I think we have done that pretty much since we have been here. I haven't been disappointed and I’ve been pretty happy most games, the chance count, the shot count is up, but it is key chances, I have never really egged up the amount of chances, I have been the other side of it when the opposition has had 24 shots and we all know half of them weren’t even worth mentioning, it is key chances.
The Everton manager added: “We have made a few of them and that’s when it comes down to the moment of truth and you have to take them. It is a team mentality.
“I am not just questioning four people because it is the team as we have seen already, it is important you score from a set piece, it is important to score from your full-backs when you can as we saw with Seamus’ fine finish, it is important you can score from different areas of the pitch and that is my mentality. We have to keep working with the group to find the different ways of asking questions of the opposition and then not just asking a question but finishing the question by scoring goals.”
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