Richard Dunne slams ‘predictable’ Everton and says no player’s position is safe this summer under Sean Dyche

In the second part of an exclusive Ladbrokes: Fanzone interview with Richard Dunne, the former Everton defender discusses Sean Dyche’s impact at Goodison Park and his expectations for next season.

Click on the link for the first part in which the ex-Republic of Ireland international talked about Manchester City, Erling Haaland and the summer of 2008.

You can see what Dyche is trying to do

It’s been a difficult season for Everton, and leaving it until the last game to confirm your status in the league doesn’t give you much confidence heading into next year. But this has been coming for a couple of years. I don’t think it’s down to Frank Lampard, or anything like that. They’ve got their recruitment so wrong, and they’ve never been stable when it comes to having someone in charge. They just haven’t been consistent enough on the pitch, and that sort of the thing eventually catches up with you.

Lampard found it difficult. I don’t think they built on the previous season at all, in terms of getting the fans on side, or playing a style of football supporters wanted to see. I think he loved the thought of having all those fans behind him, but then he played a style of football which wasn’t engaging for them. Over the course of the season, results didn’t go anywhere near as planned, and he’s moved on.

"You've seen a group giving everything to win a game… but there is so much to be done."

The real work starts now. ✊ pic.twitter.com/Sq2b76GxVE

— Everton (@Everton) May 28, 2023

I think Sean Dyche is a very, very good manager. He’s someone who knows what he wants. He knows what he expects from his players, and I think that’s very important for Everton. I don’t think it’s about egos, and the style of football – right now it’s about results,and finding a system that works best to achieve that. OK, there’s not been a huge upturn in results since he’s come in, but I think you can see what Everton are about now. You can see what the manager is trying to implement. With a summer and a pre-season underneath him, I would hope that Dyche is the man to stabilise the ship at Everton.

I don’t see him leading them into Europe or miles up the table, necessarily. I just think they’ll be much more secure and stable come the end of next season.

Every player should be worried about their place next season

It’s not easy to pick a player of the season when it comes to Everton; it’s probably Alex Iwobi or Jordan Pickford. You look at the team as a whole and they’ve been far too inconsistent across the board. There’s no one you can pin your hat on every week and say ‘they’re going to perform’. But you’d probably have to go with Pickford. He’s stepped in at big moments this season, and I think he’s matured in the last two years, too. He’s a leader in the club, but then you’ve also got Abdoulaye Doucoure who has been among the goals in the last few months. He’s finally looking like the player the club wanted to spend all that money on a few years ago.

“We spoke about mentality earlier, have mentality and show it, and I felt we did exactly that. Our attitude and dedication was there to see throughout."@JPickford1 💯

— Everton (@Everton) May 29, 2023

I don’t think any player would be over the moon to go up and collect the Player of the Year award, though, because it’s not been an amazing season at all.

It comes down to stability, I think, and having a manager like Sean Dyche in charge gives them the best chance of succeeding as a team. I hope Dyche is given the full length of his contract to get the best out of these guys, in particular Dominic Calvert-Lewin up front. There’s the basis of a solid team, there, so hopefully it develops.

I think Everton need pace, they need a bit of speed in that back line for sure, and in midfield, and probably up front. I imagine their recruitment in the summer will take that into consideration. You look at Conor Coady and James Tarkowski, two really good defenders, but it’s about working as a unit and getting the midfield in front of them to do a better job defensively. There are some good players there, but they just haven’t worked well this season. There have been injuries to full-backs, changes in formation, and none of this has helped their cause.

The only outfield player in the @premierleague to play every minute of 2022/23. @Tarky19 💪💙 pic.twitter.com/vkeEtqmGzw

— Everton (@Everton) May 29, 2023

I would imagine the manager will be seriously looking at improving all areas of the pitch; I don’t think there’s a player in that team who will look ahead to next season and confidently say they’ve got a place in the team. If Dyche can find players to replace in every position, I think he’ll try to do it. But the main key to Everton improving, is adding a bit of speed.

They’re very predictable in terms of what they do, getting the ball forward to Calvert-Lewin, and having Demarai Gray run in behind. They need a little bit more variety to their game. They’re all very similar players – there’s not a lot of difference between them.