Sean Dyche will 'keep it simple' in the Everton dressing room in the minutes before one of the biggest games in the club’s history.
The Blues boss is aware of the magnitude of the occasion and that pressure will feed into his thought process in the final moments before Goodison Park erupts to the sound of Z-Cars and almost 40,000 Blues seeking to inspire the players.
Those players will start the match against Bournemouth knowing a win will guarantee the club’s Premier League survival.
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Dyche has sought to maintain consistency in the eight days since Yerry Mina’s 99th minute goal secured a valuable - and morale-boosting - point at Wolverhampton Wanderers. The players were granted Sunday and Monday off and, while there has been an ongoing battle with injuries in the camp, the days since have followed a standard routine.
Dyche has sought to bring clarity to the side he inherited in late January, one which was three points from safety and coming to the end of a transfer window it would end weaker than it had started despite the growing danger of a second successive relegation battle. Consistency of formation and selection have been two of his guiding principles, Everton’s periods of struggle under Dyche coming when injury and suspension has forced him to diverge from his Plan A. That will be the case on Sunday afternoon with injuries to Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Seamus Coleman and Nathan Patterson creating a need for innovation.
Supporters are being urged to get into Goodison Park early for the match in order to support the players during their warm-up - which happened at Crystal Palace and Wolves. Dyche was asked what his message would be to the players when they return to the dressing room after those drills and before they step onto the pitch for the final time this season.
He said: “Something simple. Simple is good when there is a lot riding on it. Don’t complicate things. Brian Clough [who managed Nottingham Forest as Dyche rose through the club’s youth system] used to say ‘there is the ball, pass it to a red shirt’ so ‘pass the ball to a blue shirt’ - although I doubt I will be saying that.”
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