Sean Dyche heads to Tottenham Hotspur with a problem. A run of injuries and the suspension of Ashley Young has left him devoid of experience on the right of defence. The timing could barely be worse – fitness concerns elsewhere on the pitch will pile additional pressure on the player entrusted with managing one of the most effective left-sided attackers in world football.
Who he can trust to deal with Heung-Min Son will dominate his thoughts as Everton plan for a trip to Spurs – where Dyche’s side produced one of their best displays last season, albeit one that ended in a controversial defeat.
Full-back has become an increasingly problematic area for Everton during Dyche’s reign. But while there may be some justification to the argument it is a longstanding issue that should have been resolved by now, it is important to reflect the wider context. Club captain Seamus Coleman played most of pre-season and, while he sat out the Preston North End friendly win with a knee complaint he made an immediate return for the following game against Motherwell.
It was then during the first half of the final summer friendly with Roma that he pulled up with the calf issue that has now interrupted his start to the season. Coleman is 35 and played just 12 times in the league last year so betting on him being able to triple that this time around is a big ask.
It is also one it was hoped would be unnecessary when Nathan Patterson joined from Rangers in January 2022. While he has enjoyed bursts of games, most notably under Frank Lampard at the start of the 2022/23 campaign, his time on Merseyside has been blighted by injury. He ended last season with a hamstring issue that required surgery and which he is now in the later stages of recovery from.
