What Everton and Sean Dyche learned from a ‘balanced’ pre-season

Now, for the big stuff.

After more than a month of preparation, a trip to Ireland and six pre-season games, Everton kick off the new campaign at home to Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday. Despite a steady stream of injuries, the outlook appears to be relatively positive.

Sean Dyche’s side followed up wins over Preston and Motherwell earlier this month with a respectable 1-1 draw at home to Roma on Saturday. New signings such as Tim Iroegbunam, Iliman Ndiaye and Jesper Lindstrom have all, to varying degrees, made an impression.

“We’ve had a pretty balanced pre-season with the work that’s been done and the performances,” Dyche said. “We’ve been unlucky with injuries but overall I think we’re in pretty reasonable shape.”

Ahead of Saturday’s Premier League opener, The Athletic Take a look at the key talking points from Everton’s pre-season.

New signings could make Everton more entertaining

It’s been a while since Everton had any real entertainers. With Dyche’s football at the functional end of the spectrum and resources scarce, you have to go back to James Rodriguez or Kevin Mirallas for the last time the team had players who could genuinely excite the fans.

However, that may have changed with the summer signings of Ndiaye and Lindstrom, both of whom have shown flashes of quality in pre-season.

Ndiaye’s cameo off the bench against Roma was particularly promising; his first touch was a pirouette to find space before unleashing a powerful low shot that was deflected behind for a corner.

Almost a wonderful first goal for Iliman Ndiaye after good work from new signings Iroegbunam and Lindstrøm! 😮 photo.twitter.com/LRU3C0eR6g

— Everton (@Everton) August 10, 2024

Another late foray from deep inside his own half saw the Senegalese set up Jack Harrison to score.

Lindstrom, meanwhile, scored an impressive free kick against Preston and has also been a threat in transition.

So far, so good. For the first time in a while, Everton have options in the final third.

But Dyche now has some decisions to make.

The big question now for Dyche is how he uses the new resources at his disposal.

Ndiaye and Lindstrom are capable of playing in any position behind the striker, but the tried-and-tested trio of Harrison, Dwight McNeil and Abdoulaye Doucoure were preferred from the start against Roma – a sign that Dyche is thinking of playing it safe for now.

The Everton boss is usually cautious when it comes to selection. He tends to favour more experienced players over newcomers, especially when they arrive from abroad and are still settling in.

But with Everton being the second lowest scorers from open play last season and looking to improve their attacking output, the need for something more is obvious. The coaching staff have made clear this summer their desire for more variety in Everton’s attacking play.

The biggest dilemma comes behind the main striker. At his best, Doucoure almost seamlessly straddles the divide between third midfielder and second striker in Dyche’s system. But he himself prefers a deeper role and there can be times when he looks like a square peg in a decidedly round hole. When he is off his game, Everton’s football can feel stolid but one-dimensional.

Ndiaye and Harrison have been tried there this summer, but a move away from Doucoure would require Dyche to lose some caution and move away from one of his key men. The former is more creative and attacking; more skilled in transition and more of a goalscoring threat, but less of an option in midfield.

Harrison, meanwhile, offers pressure and work-rate, while there is also a sense that there is more to be done from him technically. At this stage, Lindstrom has been used mainly on the right.

The No 10 role is set to be a bellwether tactically. And the selection in the opening weeks will tell us a lot more about what Dyche wants his Everton side to be this season.

Iroegbunam looks ready to challenge for minutes

Iroegbunam has been the standout performer this pre-season. The £9 million ($11.5 million) summer signing from Aston Villa has started each of Everton’s last three friendlies and has grown in stature with each game.

The 21-year-old remains a work in progress, particularly when it comes to some of the complexities of midfield play, such as positioning and decision-making. But there is also clear potential in the way he covers ground, wins back possession and advances with the ball. He looks increasingly comfortable picking up the ball on the turn and keeping possession too.

There is a definite sense now that Iroegbunam is further forward than anyone would have expected at this point. The plan at the start of the summer would almost certainly have been for Idrissa Gueye, James Garner and Doucoure to shoulder the bulk of the midfield burden at the start.

But with injuries looming — Garner is still doubtful for next weekend due to a calf problem — Iroegbunam seized his opportunity.

Few fans would complain if he was partnered with Gueye in midfield against Brighton.

Side remains a concern

Given the number of injury problems Everton have already had this summer, Dyche must have winced when captain Seamus Coleman suffered a calf problem half an hour into Saturday’s draw against Roma before heading straight to the tunnel for treatment.

The initial prognosis looked relatively positive. “I don’t think it’s too serious – the way he’s come out – but we’ll have to hope for the best,” Dyche said.

But with fellow right-back Nathan Patterson yet to return to full training, there is now a distinct chance that Everton will go into the season opener with just two full-back options in 39-year-old Ashley Young and Vitalii Mykolenko, who has had his own injury problems since suffering an ankle injury against Liverpool in April.

There was a feeling that with Coleman, Patterson, Young and Mykolenko, Everton were sufficiently stocked at full-back. However, summer injuries have left them stretched and highlighted fragility in certain areas.

Coleman and Young have a combined age of 74, while Patterson and Mykolenko have both struggled in the last 12 months. There is currently still an over-reliance on Mykolenko, the only genuine left-back option, who will be fit for most of the season.

There are still almost three weeks to resolve any outstanding issues, but the full-back position looks set to be a big issue this season unless something changes.

Calvert-Lewin is still the best bet up front… as long as he stays

It was a goal that showed just how effective Calvert-Lewin can be when everything goes right.

After beating Roma defender Evan N’Dicka to McNeil’s pass over the top, the Everton forward cut inside and deceived goalkeeper Mile Svilar at the near post.

Goal! DCL equalizes in the 61st minute.

🔵 1-1 🔴 https://t.co/2VsWpyRq02 photo.twitter.com/9WaOMG5qLQ

— Everton (@Everton) August 10, 2024

Calvert-Lewin has always been inconsistent but is hitting form at the right time. If the early part of pre-season was most notable for his big mistakes against Sligo Rovers, Salford City and Coventry City, in recent weeks he has started to hit his stride. Saturday’s goal came after a composed penalty against Preston earlier in the month.

“It’s always nice to score goals regularly and with the pre-season we’ve had I’m feeling good and strong,” Calvert-Lewin said on Saturday.

On his day, he remains Everton’s most reliable option up top; more refined and more varied in his skill set than others in the squad. But that is also what makes the need for a swift resolution on his future all the more important.

As it stands, there has been no progress on a new contract and he is now in the final 12 months of his existing deal. Following the collapse of his move to Newcastle United earlier this summer, all options remain on the table.

Calvert-Lewin’s words on Saturday seemed to offer a hint of promise. “We’re looking forward, ready to feel that atmosphere – a buzzing Goodison,” he said.

But the uncertainty over a guaranteed starter is far from ideal heading into the new season. Everyone could use some clarity.

(Top photo: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)