Everton have taken just 15 days to make a mockery of huge...

Everton have taken just 15 days to make a mockery of huge pre-season fear

Everton’s December was enough to give anyone a cold shiver when the Premier League schedule was revealed.

There was plenty to be afraid of, from the prospect of pivotal away days at Nottingham Forest,

Burnley, and Wolves to the threats posed by Chelsea, Newcastle United, Spurs, and Manchester City.

However, halfway through what looked to be a difficult month, Everton is making a joke out of the schedule.

Four triumphs. Four spotless sheets. If the team hadn’t lost 10 points, it would have been getting closer to qualifying for Europe.

For Everton supporters, the last two seasons have been absolutely terrible. Even though they were ultimately avoided,

the series of relegation battles was exhausting, and when the season broke for its first international break,

there were many indications that it would be another challenging one. Five games into the season,

Everton was without a win, and the transfer window ended with the club’s

most promising academy talent and one of Dyche’s starting XI being sold. Even though Demarai Gray

was already a bit part of the team, he was still scheduled to go,

and Everton’s sole hope of avoiding defeat at Sheffield United was a result of Jordan Pickford’s most

recent heroics during stoppage time at Bramall Lane.

Everton’s form was poor and its squad was small. The biggest concern was that a seemingly

kind start to the season had been squandered with home defeats to Fulham and Wolves looking costly.

One of the reasons December looked increasingly daunting was that Everton had failed

to stockpile points at more favourable stages of the season to provide a buffer for the festive period.

During those first few weeks of hardship, which carried over into the international break,

Dyche consistently maintained his conviction that his team would be rewarded with outcomes if it could

continue to replicate the fundamental data that, when examined,

indicated Everton should have been receiving far more than they were. He is the one who will be happiest

that he has been vindicated, but he has every right to tell his detractors, “I told you so.”

Frank Lampard’s downfall began on Bonfire Night in 2022. With their sights set on the top half,

Everton approached the evening kickoff against Leicester City. After that loss, they were silenced by a masterclass from James

Maddison, and it started the losing streak that eventually resulted in Lampard’s firing a few months later.

That weekend, a full year later, was when things really started to move forward under Dyche.

When desperate for a home victory in October was rewarded with a hammering of Bournemouth,

the first signs of growth were apparent.