new manager sean ditch re-ignited the energy and tenacity that had been missing for so long everton won their first match since October but warned that much more is needed to lift the club out of danger.
Walter Smith’s ‘Dogs of War’ echo in mid-1990s 1-0 win Premier League Leaders Arsenal, a result built on midfield aggression, defensive commitment and finished by James Tarkowski’s header on the hour.
Dyche recalled Abdoulaye Doucouré, who has been training on his own for the final days of Frank Lampard’s reign, to make his first league start since August and the French and Belgium international amadou onana Gave both.
Onana, 21, who only arrived in the summer, was linked with a move to the Gunners in January but Everton kept him despite his struggles and Dyche is now looking to increase his contribution to the team.
To do this he plans to enlist the help of a Belgian he knows very well steven defourHe had a midfield enforcer at Burnley to educate youngsters on the finer points of Premier League football.
“He’s got a lot to learn. I think he’s a talent, the ugly side of the game he’s got to learn,” Dyche said of Onana.
“I had a little bit of fun with him and I said I’m going to get you to talk to Steven DeFore and we’ll do this.
He’s got a lot to learn. i think he is a talent, the ugly side of the game he has to learn
Sean Deitch on Amadou Onana
“He said ‘Steven Defour, I know who he is’ and I said ‘so do I – and when we talk to him next week he’ll tell you what the Premier League requirements are’.
“He is a young man who is learning. He has come here with real talent and is physically fantastic and we will make him fitter and quicker and teach him to be a complete player.
“He has a lot to offer but he has a long way to go to become a complete player and Steven will probably help me educate him.
“He (Defour) is a respected international footballer for Belgium and he will rub off on him. If he doesn’t I will rub off on him.
After nine defeats in their last 12 Premier League games it was a victory built on sweat, hard work and determination – all hallmarks of an effective Dyche team.
Everton had more shots on target and won more corners than the Gunners despite their 30 per cent possession but where they were most successful was in the penalty area.
Tarkowski exemplified this as he rose above a corner to win a header into the six-yard box and then threw himself into the path of everything in his own penalty area.
But Dyche has managed to adjust to almost all the players in what has been a poor run of form for over a year.
And while the win was welcome, the new manager will not be blindsided by a result.
He said, “A win was important, how quickly we got it, and a clean sheet is fantastic, but come on Monday because you (players) will be working.”
“It’s not about giving up, a plan is a plan and it won’t change.
“My way of doing things is to embrace the past and build the future. The teams of the ’80s could be powerful and direct but they could play.
“Now we have to do a version of this in a modern style with analysis, recruitment, science and of course organization.
“We’ve got great players here and I want to give them that platform and hopefully that freedom to play going forward.”
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is confident a second league defeat of the season will not derail them and backed his players to bounce back next weekend at home to Brentford.
“The best way to do that is to understand who we are, how we got to where we are and start doing the basic things right, start playing the way we want to play,” he said.
“Then start getting better at it individually and collectively and then you’ll earn the right to win games.”