Sean Dyche Everton change pays off as half-time exchange with Jesper Lindstrom revealed
Everton’s winning goal against Crystal Palace would have been particularly sweet for Sean Dyche. During the miserable start to the season endured by the Blues, the manager’s substitutions have been one of several areas that has undergone scrutiny from a frustrated fanbase.
But at Goodison Park on Saturday he looked on as half-time introduction Jack Harrison produced a moment of class to create Dwight McNeil’s second goal.
Dyche’s decision-making came under fire amid the fallout from the dramatic nine-minute collapse against Bournemouth. With seven minutes of normal time to go and his side two goals ahead and cruising, star man Iliman Ndiaye was brought off.
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What felt like an opportune moment for the summer signing to take in the standing ovation he deserved later became a point of contention, the loss of the outlet he provided one of several factors in the hellish events that followed.
In the Carabao Cup defeat to Southampton, there was a smattering of boos around Goodison as Beto was removed for Ashley Young - the reaction was due to the disappointment over the removal of the team’s out-and-out striker for a defender rather than a criticism of individuals.
Then last week, at Leicester City, the withdrawal of Jesper Lindstrom on the hour mark was followed by the momentum swing that saw the Foxes equalise and then look the more likely to find a late winner.
Dyche has stuck to his principles on subs - essentially that changes should typically only be made when a problem needs solving. He believes in his methods and their ability to build fitness that can enable players to stay competitive to the end of games.
That approach has increasingly come into question through the changes of recent years, with teams allowed to make a greater number of substitutions and matches typically lasting longer due to stoppage time hbeing lengthened. In Dyche's defence, Everton’s off-field issues have often left him with a threadbare squad with limited options in comparison to most Premier League rivals.
That debate will have played through his mind on Saturday as he celebrated a first win of the league campaign. The Blues were behind at the break after a first half in which they were second best. But the introduction of Harrison for Lindstrom - the same change that appeared to undermine the performance last week - proved pivotal for positive reasons this time.
It was comfortably the earliest change he had made this season, with the exception of the withdrawal of Vitalii Mykolenko during the first half at Aston Villa due to sickness, and was partly inspired by Lindstrom’s failure to hold off Daichi Kamada’s challenge in the build up to the Palace goal. It proved an important change.
After McNeil’s wonderstrike had brought Everton level minutes after the break, just a few minutes later it was Harrison’s deft control that allowed him to deliver a tantalising cross for the former Burnley man to finish.
Asked what the thought process behind the change was, Dyche said after the game: “I said to Jesper afterwards that it is about learning what it is here. I said to him about reacting to a mistake, getting after it and shutting the game down. He's learning about the culture of Everton Football Club.
“And I think Jack's got more of that about him because he's learned over his time here. I was pleased for Jack because his energy is great and he's a very talented footballer, with either foot, and he used it today by doing the simple thing well. Two touch, gets it out of his feet, puts a great ball in. So pleased for him and pleased for the other subs.
“IIt was not an easy game to see through and I was pleased for all the subs today.”