![]() ![]() "Everton's search for attacking options has been longstanding and it's a situation the club have been in before. Neal Maupay wouldn't be a direct like-for-like replacement for Dominic Calvert-Lewin, while Demarai Gray also has a completely different skillset. "He had to up his levels in a game of that magnitude. He's also been on loan at Hearts but it was a big ask of him to come into the side at 22 years of age in the Merseyside derby at Anfield. "Ellis Simms has had experience in the Championship having been on loan at Blackpool and at Sunderland. "You want to have players fit but it's the mentality of the group that's the most important thing." Is Simms equipped to replace Calvert-Lewin? The whole team has a responsibility to score, like we did against Arsenal from a good set-piece. "The framework of the team is important so it's not just about individual players. " are the three most obvious options but the mentality has to be that you score as a team and you hope not to concede as a team. "Until he is, my focus is going to be on the players we have got available and the team unit, which is always more important. "We've got other good players here so it's important to focus on them at this stage because the fact is that Dom is not available. When asked if Calvert-Lewin's latest injury setback has been hard to diagnose, Dyche added: "The root of the problem is pretty easy from a medical perspective so now it's just a case of time to make sure his body is well. "We need to find that balance of making the team tight while also creating chances, being bright, playing forward and affecting the opposition."ĭyche played down the magnitude of Saturday's relegation encounter, believing its significance will only truly be known come the end of the season - but Everton will be without Calvert-Lewin once again due to a hamstring injury. Of course, losing the derby was a big disappointment but taking three points over those two games is a reasonable start. "I'm trying to bring in a different format for the side which I feel is appropriate and we've shown that over the course of the two games I've been in charge of so far. It takes time but right now it is about trying to fast-track the players into getting points. "This often comes with lots of changes in manager, but I'm trying to make the situation better moving forward. The squad has a different balance to it that needs readjusting as it has lots of players in certain positions. "Of course, our striking department has less than you'd want in the Premier League and one of this size. But the Arsenal game is a reminder of the quality that's here. "I knew it was going to be a big challenge and everyone knows that. I was aware of the squad and of our situation, so there's no point trying to mask that. ![]() Everything has to align, and so it's not an easy situation." Sometimes, it is about a simple alignment. "I had to have the quality of the current group in mind. "That's not an easy market for anyone and I spent hours on phone calls, searching, trawling, looking through angles and possibilities at options that could affect the group. Ellis Simms is still learning his trade but we're looking for players who can affect things straightaway. "In our current situation, we're not looking at development players. "The one thing I will say to share a view on it is, you may have noticed how few strikers are out there in the market we're looking in and how many are Premier League ready. In the time I was here, I was working some 48 hours - more or less all day and all night - with all the relevant people and they did everything they could. "That was a different regime with different people involved. "I was certainly not deserving of any explanation before my time here," Dyche said when asked if he could provide further clarity to supporters about the club's transfer inactivity last month. This weekend's visitors Leeds are a point above third-from-bottom Everton, and Saturday's meeting could prove to be a key fixture in the relegation battle.ĭyche was unable to strengthen his squad in January, in part due to the short period of time between his appointment and the transfer window closing, and the Everton manager also says it is unlikely a free agent will now be signed.Įverton's lack of attacking options was exposed during the Merseyside derby defeat to Liverpool on Monday as academy graduate Ellis Simms deputised in the absence of Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Everton manager Sean Dyche says he was fully aware of his new club's predicament before taking up the reins at Goodison Park. ![]()
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