Everton fans surely won't be happy by what £40,000-a-week player has just admitted - opinion

Today at 12:15 PM

Everton have experienced a mixed start to the 2024/25 campaign under Sean Dyche.

The season began with four consecutive Premier League defeats – before Southampton knocked the Toffees out of the Carabao Cup too.

However, Dyche has since overseen a run of five games without a loss to put Everton 16th in the Premier League.

That streak has seen Everton take three points from both Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town – while there was also a respectable point earned against Newcastle.

You would – therefore – imagine that such a run would breed confidence and belief at Everton, although Ashley Young has now made a comment which suggests Sean Dyche is very much keeping the shackles on his players.

Ashley Young admits Everton chose to sit back in 1-1 Fulham draw

Worryingly, the £40,000-a-week man has now revealed that Dyche wanted the Toffees to sit back and let Fulham dominate the match at Goodison Park last week.

Young is quoted by Everton’s official website as saying: “We’ve given up possession. We gave them a lot of possession, but we’ve got that attitude where we can give up the possession and when we get the chance to create and get in the box, that’s when we hit the (opposition).

“We’ve got that never-say-die attitude. We knew putting the ball in the box, putting (Michael Keane) up as a striker and we knew how to play off the bits. We got Keano and Beto in the box and boys who could put the ball in the box.”

Darren Bent also recently revealed that Young spoke highly about Dyche and his attention to detail, so this game plan was by no means a last minute call.

Sean Dyche risks alienating Everton fans with negative approach

These tactics are all well and good to deploy away at Manchester City or Arsenal, but to adopt a system like this at home to Fulham does not send out a positive message, nor will it do much to encourage supporters.

Everton used to be a swashbuckling side who took the game to any opponent at Goodison Park, with the likes of Leon Osman, Leighton Baines, Marouane Fellaini, Steven Pienaar and Nikica Jelavic often troubling the traditional Big Six on Merseyside, and also away from home.

Now, Dyche – while largely doing a decent job at Everton – is not going to be very popular amongst supporters if he continues to make the Toffees look like an underdog League One side hanging on against Premier League opposition in the FA Cup, especially at Goodison Park of all venues.