Sean Dyche has hit out at the “baying” critics who turned Everton into a social media storm this week.
The Blues boss reacted with typical vigour after his team hit the headlines when a side containing eight first-teamers, who had 75 international caps between them, were defeated in a friendly by National League north outfit Chester City.
Questions were asked about Everton’s ability to beat the drop in the Premier League, when they couldn’t even deal with a non-league outfit who are third in their division.
But Dyche explained that the whole purpose of the game was to give striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin valuable minutes after his two month injury lay off, and he rounded on the snipers, when he said: “It’s just another negative story that everyone is baying for. It’s an easy story - but the story behind that is actually the truth.
“That’s ‘can we get Dominic Calvert-Lewin minutes on a pitch in a more competitive manner?’ Which we did.
“The outcome I was looking for is for Dom to play and be fit, and that was the outcome we got.
“I can’t start changing the focus, (just because of criticism). Did he look sharp? Yes. Did he play well? Yes. Could he have scored? Yes, numerous times. But was he in there to score? Yes. Did he come through it unscathed? Yes. Is he cool? Yes. Cool as in injury free, not cool as in… I’ve seen his gear!”
More worrying for Everton fans though, was a side containing international players such as Yerry Mina, Conor Coady and Abdoulaye Doucoure were beaten by Chester, with many questioning the fight and commitment of the players.
Yet as Dyche prepared for a crucial visit to Crystal Palace, where a result is desperately needed after taking just two points in the last four matches, he insisted he will not get distracted from the bigger picture.
“We were just looking for players to come through unscathed, injury free, as sharp as we can get them when they’re not playing every week. Us against Chester has no bearing on the first team,” he added.
“If we’d have won it 16-0 and Dom didn’t score and got injured, what would you have been talking about then? Would you have been talking about something else?
“If we’d have lost 3-0 and Dom got injured, what would be the thinking. Exactly. So therefore it was always about Dom. 3-0 would have been an eye raising scoreline, so’s 1-0.
“But it still wouldn’t have been what I’m looking for. The outcome I was looking for was: 'Can Dom play football and run around?' Which he can. And that is really important because look at the noise, look at what the noise has all been about since I came to the club.
“Apart from the ownership all the noise has been about Calvert-Lewin. And we’ve been working really, really hard with the physios, with the medics with him, to make sure we give him the best possible opportunity to be as fully fit as possible.”
Calvert-Lewin came through the run out unscathed, with Dyche taking him off on 70 minutes to give him a chance of appearing at Palace this weekend, though he is likely to be on the bench.
