Of the Premier League table, Sean Dyche only cares about the final standings at the end of the season. Of his next opposition, Dyche’s attention is on having his players as prepared as possible and not on form, potential or history. Of his team, Dyche’s demands are straightforward.
The Everton boss has a set of what he views as “authentic beliefs” and they form the core of his approach. They revolve around hard work and determination - the “relentless mentality” he has sought to instil.
It is not necessarily a simple approach, Dyche has methods and strategies and a tactical awareness he is often not given credit for. But it is effective - and results suggest it is working.
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More than anything, Dyche wants his team to have belief. Ahead of the match with Brentford last month, from which Everton secured a crucial three points through Dwight McNeil’s first minute goal, the 51-year-old said: “What I do know is the relentless mentality I want from the players and we have been speaking about that a lot. Anything is achievable at any given moment in a game so we take on the game to the last breath.”
Since he uttered those words, Everton have gone a further three games unbeaten. While they still linger on the periphery of the bottom three they are now four without defeat and have taken six points from those games. The most recent matches, at Chelsea and at home to Tottenham Hotspur, have seen his side snatch points with last-gasp goals. They have helped Everton retain momentum while sides around them spiral into crisis.
Asked on Thursday what the late goals either side of the international break mean to him as manager, Dyche was positive - suggesting they could be taken as evidence that the attitude he is attempting to drive is starting to take hold. And that bodes well for the rest of the season, and the rest of the relegation battle.
Dyche explained: “It re-inforces the words I use in the camp - not in the media. I try and be authentic in my beliefs in football and I do believe if you are relentless in your attitude over 95, 96, 97 minutes, however long the referee plays, then things can change. I think we are showing that clear-mindedness throughout the games, at Chelsea we got a good point down there late in the game and there was another great response to going down and having 10 men the other night against Tottenham.
"These are things I believe over a season pay you back and we have got to believe in them wholeheartedly all of the time and the players have shown they do.”
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