Everton’s slow start to the 2024/2025 season has left the Goodison Park faithful shifting nervously in their seats. However, those who’ve made the familiar trek down Goodison Road over the years will know that the league table only starts to take shape once the clocks go back.
In other words, it might be unwise to draw too many sweeping conclusions while the leaves are still on the trees and travel operators are still offering last-minute summer trips to the Mediterranean.
Dyche’s woeful August record
In Everton’s case, this is especially relevant as only one other manager in Premier League history has a worse win percentage than Sean Dyche during the month of August.
With Dyche’s win ratio at just 12 percent in the season’s opening month, there’s no need for fans to hit the panic button just yet as this statistic underscores that the 53-year-old’s teams are often slow to find their rhythm.
Of course, it’s also worth mentioning that Dyche hasn’t had a fully fit squad to try and improve his poor record in August, with the key absentee being centre-back Jarrad Braithwaite, who is reportedly being courted by both Real Madrid and Manchester United. The 22-year-old is set to return to action towards the end of September.
Irrespective of the exact date, the wider point is that there is a chance that the Toffees will begin picking up points again sooner rather than later as they proved capable of doing last term after an indifferent start.
As we know, eight of those points were deducted due to breaches of Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules, leaving the club with a final tally of 40 points. The key takeaway here is that it’s worth keeping in mind that without these FFP sanctions, Everton would have finished just one point behind Crystal Palace in 10th place, which would have constituted a top-half finish.
Fans believe that it’s possible that Dyche’s side could break into the top half of the table this season despite their recent struggles.
Can the Toffees Come Unstuck?
Naturally, this would mean overcoming the odds currently set for a top-half finish as reflected in late September. Taking a closer look at the prices for this market could offer more insight into the task at hand for Everton.
Indeed, as things stand, Everton are priced at 16/1 to end the season in the top ten places in the league table. Given that these odds are on the longer side, some fans who have faith in Dyche’s side to turn their fortunes around may choose to use a free bet offer from one of the best betting sites UK to minimise risk. New customers signing up with any of these recommended betting sites like Parimatch UK and CopyBet can claim up to £50 in free bets which can be used on the Premier League’s outright markets.
The reality is that football can be unpredictable and that the Premier League has never been more competitive, so even if a side coached by Dyche has a tendency to move up the league table over the autumn and winter, nothing is ever guaranteed.
Crucially, Dyche will know as much, which is why he will demand maximum effort from his players as they try to find that elusive momentum.
Is It a Matter of When and Not If?
Everton fans will be hoping that August’s poor start will soon be forgotten as the Blues begin regularly picking up points on their way to another solid season with Dyche at the helm.
With Everton taking control of games and going a few goals to the good before losing their lead as they did against Bournemouth and Aston Villa, there are potential signs that the Toffees’ football is proving effective.
Rather, with the right game management in commanding potions, the early season blues could be a thing of the past for Everton and Dyche.