Paul Merson, Everton, Chelsea
Paul Merson will have been fuming at what he saw Everton do v Chelsea. (Credit: Sky Sports PL You...
Josh Edwards
Mon 23 December 2024 21:10, UK
Paul Merson claimed that Everton supporters wouldn’t want to see their side sit back against Chelsea and that is exactly what they did on Sunday.
While Everton’s 0-0 draw against The Blues was certainly a good result, Merson will likely have been shaking his head at how the Toffees were set up throughout the game.
Sean Dyche’s side sat deep and restricted Chelsea’s forward players to little space which was exactly what Sky Sports pundit Merson – a Chelsea supporter – claimed Everton supporters wouldn’t want to see prior to the fixture.
The Toffees were restricted to just 25 per cent possession in the game (FotMob), with Chelsea recording 12 shots in the game.
Everton need to adapt despite positive result v Chelsea
Back-to-back draws against two title contenders seem like little cause for negativity but Everton have far more quality in their ranks than has been on show in those two encounters.
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That is exactly where the frustration lies and it is solely down to the negative style of play that Dyche won’t appear to budge from and it is severely restricting what the Merseysdiers can do.
With players like Iliman Ndiaye and Dwight McNeil, Everton have plenty of attacking quality but that becomes irrelevant when they have no intention of attacking an opposition, which was the case for large parts of the game against Chelsea.
Sean Dyche Everton
Everton manager Sean Dyche [Credit: Imago]
Of course, their ability to get three points was hindered by the performance of Jack Harrison but one individual player can’t be to blame for the lack of attacking threat posed by the Toffees this season.
Dyche needs to loosen his stubbornness in order to unlock the full potential that this Everton side have.
Merson will have been fuming at seeing the negativity, especially against a team he will surely be backing for the title.
In other Everton news, Shay Given reacted to an incident in the Toffees encounter with Chelsea.
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