Sean Dyche might have to copy Rafa Benitez’s Everton risk to save his job vs Leicester City
Everton’s match against Leicester City this weekend, whilst only their fifth Premier League game of the season, already feels like a must-win.
Especially for Sean Dyche, who is coming under increasing pressure from the fanbase to start picking up points.
In his desperate state, there is fear about what he might do to save his job, especially with a squad so ravaged by illness and injury.
Tuesday night saw him forced to deploy a severely weakened team as they bowed out of the Carabao Cup on penalties.
With this in mind, there might be one Rafael Benitez risk that he could be forced to mimic.
Rafael Benitez nearly ruined Dominic Calvert-Lewin
It is not something that would be advised, but in his panicked, potentially reckless state, it might be the last chance he has.
However, he must heed the warning signs that he himself actually had to fix upon his appointment though, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin‘s career nearly being ruined by the Spaniard’s misconduct.
From the very start, his position at Goodison Park was always going to eventually become untenable, and so even the smallest run of poor form would have been scrutinised.
But with just one win across 13 Premier League matches, his stock on Merseyside hit an all-time low.
What’s even more frustrating is that, in an effort to ease their torrid form, he relentlessly played a half-fit Calvert-Lewin until he could no longer play at all.
If he was just returning from injury, Benitez threw him straight back in, forcing him to make appearances when everyone could see how ravaged he was. The English forward, who had previously shone under Carlo Ancelotti, regressed from one of his country’s best strikes to a player renowned for his injuries and unavailability.
Sean Dyche’s Everton job is on the line vs Leicester City
Dyche has been so careful in managing the 27-year-old back to full health, and with two goals in four Premier League games, he has started the season well.
However, with the amount of injuries he is currently dealing with, this measured philosophy might be thrown out of the window.
Especially with how important Saturday’s game is, with Dyche on thin ice at Everton.
Jarrad Branthwaite is quite comfortably the biggest miss they have suffered this campaign, with the 53-year-old’s side having gone from the fourth-best defence in the division to the worst, conceding 13 from just four matches.
