Sean Dyche has been presented with a tough call for the trip to Tottenham Hotspur as he weighs up how to deal with one of the league's best attackers in an area beset by injury and suspension
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.
Here are his options.
Transfers, injuries and suspension - who he cannot pick
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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.
Coleman and Patterson’s persistent injuries problems led to Ben Godfrey playing at right back earlier this year. That option is now unavailable following his sale to Atalanta, though his use on the right was an imperfect solution. Ashley Young, who is also the senior cover on the left for Vitalii Mykolenko, was offered a new deal because of his versatility and experience and the hope was Everton could muddle through this year before addressing the issue next summer.
But the torrid time Kaoru Mitoma gave him on Saturday, culminating in his red card, means he is not an option for the trip to Spurs and may cast his ability to be an option in a slightly different light. All of the issues mentioned so far have been longstanding ones but Dyche may well have hoped that, should the need be as great as it now it is, he could turn to James Garner.
Garner has experience on the right side of defence and one of his best displays for Everton came in that position against Bournemouth on the final day of the season before last, when the Blues kept a clean sheet in the narrow victory needed to secure survival. But Garner is also out with a calf injury. Following the Brighton defeat, Dyche said he was not expecting to have any of Coleman, Patterson or Garner available for the next match.
Mason Holgate the most likely square peg in a round hole?
This leaves Mason Holgate as the obvious solution. Holgate is a centre back by trade but Dyche has few options available to him and he has used the 27-year-old as a right back before - selecting him ahead of a then-fit Patterson to deal with Jordan Ayew at Crystal Palace in April 2023.
Holgate did not last the 90 minutes, however, after picking up two yellow cards in the goalless draw at Selhurst Park. His Everton future remains in the air after a season spent on loan first at Southampton and then at Sheffield United. He came on towards the end of the Brighton defeat and Dyche later acknowledged this was partly in view of having to potentially play him at right back next week, explaining: “The squad is what it is. We have added to it and tried to find a balance but have been a bit unfortunate with injuries.”
Should Dyche want to stick to a flat back four then Holgate offers him Premier League experience and a player who has spent some time on the right, even if it is not his best position.
Jack Harrison and a formation change could provide an alternative solution
An alternative solution would be to switch formation. Dyche has shown a willingness to do this when injuries have forced him away from his preferred 4-5-1 setup, including at Burnley last December when Godfrey and Michael Keane entered the fray amid issues at the back.
Moving to three centre backs may provide him with more defensive confidence given he is already dealing with an injury to Jarrad Branthwaite. Such a move could pave the way for Jake O’Brien to earn his first Premier League minutes alongside Keane and James Tarkowski and would probably see Jack Harrison deployed at right wing back.
While he is an attacker - who caused Brighton issues in the first half - he is trusted by Dyche because of his work-rate and willingness to play a defensive role and so moving him to wing-back might be the best compromise on offer.
Roman Dixon and where the academy starlet could fit into Dyche’s thinking
One solution that has captured momentum is the option to turn to the academy setup. Roman Dixon started at right back for the Under-21s on Friday as they kickstarted their Premier League 2 campaign with a 3-1 win over Blackburn Rovers.
The 19-year-old was impressive going forward and linked up well with right winger Isaac Heath. The pair combined after 120 seconds, with Dixon getting to the byline and pulling the ball back for Heath to open the scoring. Fifteen minutes later Dixon was on the right corner of the box when he looked to bend a ball behind the centre backs for Francis Okoronkwo to flick on. Okoronkwo did not quite get a toe on the ball but he was close enough for Blackburn keeper and former Blue Jack Barrett to anticipate a touch and be left wrong-footed when it was not applied - providing Dixon with a goal.
The teenager is earmarked as having potential and spent parts of the summer with the first team squad. His pace is one of his best attributes and there is excitement about his progress. But there is a sense he is still learning his trade and there were times Blackburn caused problems when they attacked down Everton’s right on Friday night.
Dixon still remains a player with limited experience, having spent last season with the U21s earning his stripes at PL2. The two matches he played 90 minutes against senior opposition came in the EFL Trophy and Everton lost both.
Within the England setup he came off the bench in the elite squad’s win over Sweden this summer, a game in which Norwich City’s Kellen Fisher - who has made 11 first team appearances across the Championship and FA Cup last season - started at right back. That experience does matter to Dyche, who used a lack of Premier League experience to justify his limited use of some of his new signings against Brighton - signings that have built up significant first team experience elsewhere.