The Everton season preview 2023/24 might seem certain with Sean Dyche in charge, but it's anything but.
Dyche wasn’t brought in only to be a firefighter who could steer the Toffees away from relegation. His track record of extracting every ounce possible from tight resources probably appealed to a board that knows how precarious Everton’s finances are right now, specifically within the shackles of FFP.
Using the funds that are at his disposal, Dyche has pledged to recruit “pace, power and energy”. The hope is that this dovetails with a modified emphasis towards young players full of potential, which has already been initiated by director of football Kevin Thelwell.
Given the club’s footballing horizons are set lower than they have been for years, Dyche and Thelwell might have the necessary breathing space to begin the Merseysiders’ long road back from the brink of the abyss. FourFourTwo previews Everton's Premier League season.
Everton season preview 2023/24: The lesson from last year
This shouldn’t really be a lesson that any club has to learn, but to go into a season pinning all of your hopes on the fitness of a centre-forward with muscles made of papier-mâché, in Dominic Calvert-Lewin, may be the worst decision Everton have made of late – and it’s a competitive field.
With the only alternative strikers being Neal Maupay and Salomon Rondon, two human goal vacuums, Frank Lampard was forced to recall Ellis Simms in January. Between the four of them, Everton’s forward line contributed four league goals all season, one of them a penalty, and – as either xG statistics or the human eye could show – it was almost the main factor in relegation.
Strengthening in this area must be the No.1 priority, without delay, because failure to do so could be catastrophic.
The coach: Sean Dyche
No one expects it to be pretty, but there is optimism that Sean Dyche can deliver a season that’s free of drama, and start the process of creating a more robust incarnation of Everton. With a nod to Joe Royle and David Moyes, he is perhaps the most ‘Everton’ manager to helm the Goodison Park club for a while.
Key player: James Tarkowski
James Tarkowski: as good as the departing Yerry Mina, but not held together by safety pins. ‘Tarks’ was ever-present – the only outfield player, in fact, to play every minute of a club’s 2022/23 Premier League campaign – and has brought some much-needed consistency and toughness to the Everton backline.
The mood around Everton
On the pitch, grim realism: most fans have accepted that, for now, mid-table mediocrity and the sense of a blueprint being implemented would be seen as a ‘successful’ campaign. Off the pitch, there is a palpable desire for change. Last season the Everton hierarchy waged a de facto civil war against the fans, and the majority of Evertonians won’t be happy until those responsible for that, and for Everton’s decline, are no longer associated with the club.
One to watch
He arrived with very little fanfare and missed a chunk of last season with injury, but James Garner – signed from Manchester United for £9m, potentially rising to £15m – impressed during the run-in. The 22-year-old is positive on the ball in a way that so few Everton midfielders have been in recent years.
Most likely to...
Have the best nickname: Abdoulaye Doucoure, AKA ‘The Doucs of Hazard’.
Least likely to...
Stay fit. Calvert-Lewin could probably pull a muscle thinking about putting on a sock. The past two campaigns have been deeply frustrating for player and fans alike, because when fit, DCL is everything you’d want an Everton No.9 to be – and memories of that goal-hungry 2020/21 season remain.
The fan's view: Joe Strange (@joe_strange)
Last season was one goal away from being a complete nightmare. We couldn’t have had any complaints if we’d suffered relegation.
This season will be different because Sean Dyche showed us that he could organise an ailing group and get results without a proper frontman. If he’s backed, we should be better this term.
Our key player will be Jordan Pickford, assuming we aren’t forced to sell him.
The thing my club really gets right is their excellent community work. If we were as good on the pitch as we are off it, we’d win the Treble!
The player I’d happily drive to another club is Neal Maupay. He hasn’t exactly been helped by our tactics, but he doesn’t offer us very much other than annoying opposition defenders.
The active player I’d love to have back is John Stones. Defence, midfield – he could play anywhere for us and be better than what we have. I’m pleased to see what he’s achieved at Manchester City.
Look out for 21-year-old Jarrad Branthwaite. After a brilliant season on loan at PSV, and with Yerry Mina and Conor Coady both gone, he could get a real chance.
Fans think our owner is absolutely clueless. Farhad Moshiri was supposed to take us to new heights, but we’ve gone backwards under him despite hugely overspending. Our brand new stadium is the only positive of his ownership.
The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is mixed. Ultimately he did a good job in difficult circumstances, but serious questions remain over some of his tactics and decisions.
If he left, he should be replaced by Graham Potter: a top manager regardless of what happened at Chelsea.
We’ll finish 14th.
Season previews for the Premier League, League One and League Two are all available HERE
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