Everton suffered a shocking start to the campaign, with four straight defeats to open the 2024/25 Premier League season, but Sean Dyche has found some respite in his side’s recent upswing in form.
Victory over Crystal Palace at Goodison Park was followed by successive draws against Leicester City and Newcastle United before the current international break, but there’s still plenty to do before the 16th-placed side steer safely away from the drop zone.
19/10/24
Ipswich Town (A)
17th
26/10/24
Fulham (H)
8th
02/11/24
Southampton (H)
19th
09/11/24
West Ham (A)
12th
23/11/24
Brentford (H)
11th
If the Toffees fall back into a struggling spell, it could have dire consequences for Dyche, who was skating on the thinnest of ice only a few weeks ago.
Why Sean Dyche could be sacked
Dyche might have lifted Everton out of the Premier League relegation zone but many supporters will feel that the short rise in form might just prove to be a stay of execution.
Though the 53-year-old manager recently revealed that he has been unbothered by the din surrounding Goodison Park and his place at the helm, there has indeed been noise, with the Friedkin Group’s proposed takeover from Farhad Moshiri opening up further speculation that he will be replaced.
Who to bring in, though? Graham Potter and former boss David Moyes are both out of employment, but perhaps TFG would wish to delve down a different and more ambitious road, with Football Insider confirming that Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho has been linked with the job.
The former Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur gaffer is an infamous figure in English football – Moyes has hailed him as a “serial winner” in the past – and while it would seem unlikely that he’d be brought in, it’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility.
Friedkin will want to hit the ground running on Merseyside and ensure that Everton move away from the threat of relegation and then make headway in the Premier League, moving up to the upper end of the table.
Why Jose Mourinho could succeed at Everton
Mourinho replacing Dyche in the dugout at Goodison Park this season does seem like a far-fetched rumour, especially since he’s only been in a job at Fenerbahce since June of this year.
It’s been a decent start: Sarı Kanaryalar are fourth in the Turkish Super Lig but only two points off second-placed Samsunspor – albeit six points adrift from table-toppers Galatasaray, who have completed an imperious start to the campaign.
But wait. Might there actually be a grain of sense within this rumour? Everton could, frankly, spend the 2024/25 campaign battling against relegation, and systematically revamping the playing style might cause more harm than good.
In Mourinho, Dyche’s “direct and defensive” system would be superseded by the more flexible approach that the ‘special one’ employs.
While Mourinho might have garnered something of a reputation for rigid, deep-sitting football, the truth is that he implements different variations of the same whole depending on the club and its situation – for example, his trophy-laden spells with Real Madrid and Porto were characterised by attacking, in-your-face styles.
But a more pragmatic approach is what would be needed on Merseyside, and after Everton found such success in protecting Jordan Pickford’s goal across the 2023/24 campaign, Mourinho might be the perfect option to take what Dyche has built and upgrade it, fashion it into something even more.
1.
Arsenal
18
2.
Manchester City
13
2.
Everton
13
4.
Liverpool
10
4.
Newcastle United
10
4.
Fulham
10
4.
Crystal Palace
10
After all, with Mourinho pulling the strings, Jarrad Branthwaite might take the next step in his development and realise his world-class credentials.
Mourinho would make Jarrad Branthwaite a "monster"
Analyst Ben Mattinson hailed Branthwaite as a “beast” of a centre-half last season after he returned to Merseyside after a successful loan spell in the Netherlands with PSV Eindhoven, starting 35 Premier League matches and winning 68% of his duels, also averaging 4.5 clearances and 5.2 ball recoveries per match, as per Sofascore.
Broad-shouldered and imposing, the 22-year-old has an exciting future ahead of him and has already attracted interest from some of Europe’s heavyweights, with Manchester United failing with a series of official bids this summer.
Mourinho, who to this day boasts the Premier League record for fewest goals conceded in a season (15, with title-winning Chelsea in 2004/05), could turn Branthwaite into an “absolute monster”, a reputation that some analysts already believe he holds, such as talent scout Jacek Kulig.
There’s a distinguishable aggressiveness to Branthwaite’s game – although it’s not to a fault. As per FBref, he ranks inside the top 25% of recordable defensive metrics that the site presents, highlighting his robustness and energy.
It would go down a treat under Mourinho, who could refine and lift some of his more negative attributes – such as a lack of passing accuracy.
Branthwaite might not rank highly for pass completion and progressive passes, but then he’s performing in Dyche’s counter-attacking and deep-lying system and this precludes the kind of ball-playing success that other defenders are able to achieve, thus distorting the metrics.
He’s technically proficient and this could be lifted even higher under Mourinho, whose defensive qualities might look to be the 61-year-old’s bread and butter from a tactical standpoint but does not negate the technical ability and intelligence of his tactical plans – after all, he’s one of the most decorated managers in history.
If the Friedkin Group are serious about turning Everton toward a new age, perhaps this is the managerial move to make. A statement of intent.
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