Everton analysis - Chelsea lose their heads as new Tim Cahill emerges for cool Blues
Everton analysis from Chris Beesley as Sean Dyche's side continue their fine form by beating sorry Chelsea
The new Cahill
Sean Dyche has already dubbed Abdoulaye Doucoure as “Johnny on the Spot” for this Everton side and it’s a tag that also used to be deployed for Goodison Park fan favourite Tim Cahill.
Corner flags up and down the land might be relieved by the Australian’s retirement but although Marouane Fellaini would later take up the mantle as the Blues’ battling attacking midfielder, knitting the play between the centre of the park and the forward line, it’s been over a decade since David Moyes departed for Manchester United and ended up taking the big Belgian with him that they’ve enjoyed such a presence in their side until recent months.
As much as Cahill was adored by Evertonians and truly earned his place as a modern day icon, nobody could ever claim that he was anything close to being the most polished performer the club has ever had when it came to either passing or tackling but his incredible knack of scoring goals ensured he was an invaluable element of the team for eight years. For Doucoure that’s now 11 goals in his last 26 Premier League goals and he’s not even playing up front.
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Run, run
“Run, run, whoever you may be” goes the old Everton battle anthem, rattled out when a game gets spiky but it’s been after the final whistle has sounded against both Newcastle United and now Chelsea that things have kicked off with their opponents.
Fresh from the ‘handbags’ with Fabian Schar and company on Thursday night, visiting substitute Nicolas Jackson was in the thick of a post-match melee after his team also suffered defeat at Goodison Park. It’s unclear whether the Senegalese striker managed to land any shots on target in the spat but if he did it would be in sharp contrast to his display in the game with Chelsea followers lamenting his failure to demonstrate a similar level of passion in his performance.
Dyche demands that his teams have that competitive edge to them but it’s telling that after putting in a shift and defending heroically against Chelsea, another visiting side has walked off the turf with individuals in their squad losing their head. Everton’s players in contrast were aggressive in all the right ways, putting their bodies on the line and committing to challenges.
Keeping it clean
It wasn’t just a third win in as many games over an eight-day period but a third successive clean sheet for Everton, which is one more than they’d kept in their first 13 Premier League games this term.
It’s been a big collective effort from the Blues back five, starting with goalkeeper Jordan Pickford making impressive saves at crucial times, centre-back pair James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite being a couple of colossi and Vitalii Mykolenko looking increasingly comfortable in the left-back berth. Right-back has been something of a moveable feast with Ashley Young, Seamus Coleman and Nathan Patterson all featuring at various junctures and playing their part but it’s not just those at the back who are relishing their defensive duties.
Even the aforementioned Doucoure, who opened the scoring, filled in at one moment in the right-back role towards the end, ushering the ball out off Mykhailo Mudryk for a goal-kick with dogged determination. His reward was a celebratory chest bump from substitute Amadou Onana, who also played an influential role in changing the game in the second half, with some assured play from deep.
Dobbin delight
It would have been too obvious for those notorious equine aggressors of Newcastle to have been floored by a knock-out blow from Dobbin but just three days later the 20-year-old came off the bench to seal this memorable victory with his first Everton goal.
After a couple of last-minute cameos against Norwich City and Manchester United earlier in the season, Dobbin’s first real taste of Premier League football came against Chelsea two years ago this month when Rafael Benitez named a patched-up side at Stamford Bridge and he came off the bench just after the hour mark to replace Ellis Simms. Although Simms went on to net what proved to be his only goal for Everton in another trip to Chelsea under Dyche back on March 18 this year before being sold to Coventry City in the summer, Dobbin looks like a player the manager believes he can work with going forward.
The Stoke-on-Trent-born prospect spent last season back in the Midlands on loan at League One Derby County but while he was full of running earlier this season, he still appeared raw at Premier League level. This maiden strike though was expertly-taken and given that Dyche explained how Dobbin got the nod ahead of high-profile star Arnaut Danjuma, it demonstrates the level of trust he is now being shown – and repaying.