Everton centre-back Michael Keane could be particularly low on confidence at Goodison Park.
Everton centre-back Michael Keane could have been dropped from the starting XI last weekend because he is the defender “the lowest on confidence” at Goodison Park, as journalist Paul Brown provides GIVEMESPORT with his verdict on the decision.
Sean Dyche’s Toffees side have zero points from their first three Premier League fixtures this season.
It’s been a difficult start to the season for Everton, who are yet to find the back of the net in the Premier League this term. However, the side’s chances haven’t been helped by their inability to keep a clean sheet, having conceded second-half winners at home to Fulham and Wolverhampton Wanderers, either side of a humbling 4-0 defeat at Aston Villa.
The poor start to the campaign comes after Everton scraped Premier League survival on the season’s last day last term. With tensions already high, it’s unsurprising that centre-back Keane was the target of the backlash from some of the Toffees’ faithful following their defeat at Villa Park earlier this month.
And the £80,000 per-week earner's disappointing showing in the West Midlands forced Dyche to drop the experienced defender from his starting XI in last weekend’s 1-0 defeat at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers. However, with the Merseyside outfit unable to prevent an 87th-minute winner from Sasa Kalajdzic, the former Burnley head coach could rethink his backline options heading into this weekend’s trip to Sheffield United.
James Tarkowski seems most likely to be swapped for Keane after Jarrad Branthwaite put in an impressive showing against Gary O’Neil’s side, earning him an 8/10 rating from the Liverpool Echo. But Dyche knows that a constant reshuffle of his backline is unlikely to provide any stability heading into the final fixtures before the season’s first international break.
Michael Keane – Everton
Stats
Appearances
203
Goals
12
Assists
9
Yellow cards
15
Red cards
1
All stats according to Transfermarkt
Brown was surprised that Keane was dropped from the starting XI for last weekend’s clash with Wolves but believes taking him out of the limelight could have been wise, given his confidence.
He told GIVEMESPORT: “I was surprised that Dyche took Keane out. I didn't think he would. Of all Everton's defenders, Keane looked the one lowest on confidence in the previous game. I don't think that defeat was entirely his fault. I think there were a lot of factors at play there. But taking him out might have been wise if his confidence was low.”
Keane could be reintegrated into Dyche’s side when they travel to Doncaster Rovers in the second round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening. Though the tie offers the Toffees some rest from Premier League action, they are under pressure to perform, with Doncaster sitting bottom of the EFL heading into the clash.
The Merseyside outfit then travel to Sheffield United on Saturday, hoping to push themselves off the bottom of the top flight with a much-needed first victory of the season at Bramall Lane. Everton get back underway after the international break when they welcome Arsenal to Goodison Park on 16th September, hoping to have taken stock ahead of a massive few weeks for Dyche’s side.
Harry is a football writer with multiple years of experience in the field, having worked as an intern at Port Vale Football Club, before coming through the ranks at the O&O Academy at Snack Media. Having worked as a freelance writer on This is Futbol from July-November 2022, he now works as a freelance writer for the Exclusives team at GiveMeSport, mainly covering Premier League football as well as Celtic and Rangers. Football dominates Harry’s life and when he’s not writing about the sport, he is often found following his beloved Wolverhampton Wanderers home and away.