Sean Dyche has said Everton must embrace the pressure of their latest “must-win” away game at Wolves and denied his team have a more inviting run-in than their relegation rivals.
Only victory at Molineux on Saturday would ensure Everton’s survival prospects remain in their own hands before the final game. Their previous two away fixtures, at Leicester and Brighton, were also regarded as critical and Dyche’s team responded impressively in both. Everton’s superb 5-1 victory at the Amex Stadium was only their second Premier League away win of the season, and Dyche has called for a repeat approach against Wolves.
The Everton manager, who has Dominic Calvert-Lewin available but no fit left-back, said: “What is it that defines wins away from home? It is not just tactics, it is a mentality to take it on. You have to turn stats and facts your way. Five points from the last three away games is a pretty good return. If you add that over a season it is a good return.
“What is the noise of Everton for the last few seasons? They are not very strong away. Well there is only us that can change it. It is a mindset thing. We have been trying to build it every day to keep pushing. There is a saying I nicked off Arsène Wenger: ‘Raising the minimum.’ The maximum of any team looks after itself. It is the minimum you have to raise – the days when it is not your day.
“Keep improving it and it pays you back. You can’t just flick a switch. Maybe George Best could do it. Not in modern football. You have to understand the challenge so you can go out there and play. That is the nirvana moment, when you get a whole group like that. That is where we are trying to get to, even with all the injuries and suspensions.”
Everton’s final two opponents, Wolves and Bournemouth, are safe in 13th and 14th place respectively. Leeds face West Ham and Tottenham, Leicester play Newcastle and West Ham, while Nottingham Forest have Arsenal and Palace, prompting some suggestions Dyche’s side have the more straightforward schedule.
“No such thing as best fixtures or worst fixtures for me,” Dyche responded. “I have been in the Premier League for many years and I never remember coming off thinking: ‘That was an easy game.’ Sometimes they are easy with hindsight but not when you are out there playing them.
“I tell the players it is all noise. It is about our performance. We cannot govern what is happening with someone else. Brighton was a good example: flying, flying, flying – we turn up, what happened there, next week they beat Arsenal 3-0. You cannot guarantee when someone is ready or not, but you can try to guarantee your own reasons to be ready to go.”
