Sean Dyche joined by 777 Partners boss as Kevin De Bruyne ‘leaves some on’ Everton defender
Moments missed from Everton’s match against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
Everton held off Manchester City, the reigning English, European, and World champions, for 70 minutes until losing 2-0 thanks to an Erling Haaland brace.
The setback keeps the Blues in the bottom three heading into Monday’s crucial meeting at home to Crystal Palace, who are five points ahead of them in the table. However, there was some good news as relegation rivals Nottingham Forest, Luton Town, and Burnley all lost.
Sean Dyche served a one-match touchline ban against City after receiving his third booking of the season in Everton’s 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur the previous week. The 52-year-old, described as “a 6ft 2in ginger skinhead” by his own assistant Ian Woan, normally cuts an imposing and demonstrative figure on the side of the pitch during games, delivering constant instructions and encouragement to his players.
However, on this occasion it was Woan – who himself had served a similar ban at West Ham United on October 29 – who was left to prowl the touchline, like he did for the pre-season friendly at Wigan Athletic when Dyche opted to watch a younger Everton XI at Tranmere Rovers instead, while first-team coach Steve Stone relayed messages from the gaffer being delivered between a two-way headset
Dyche was seen fiddling with his earpiece and wire, resembling an exasperated delegate at a United Nations General Assembly meeting. Despite the seriousness of facing the world’s top team, Everton manager Dyche and his director of football Kevin Thelwell shared a few moments of humour on camera. On the other side of Thelwell, Don Dransfield, CEO of 777 Football Group and former Manchester City employee, was followed by Everton’s interim CEO Colin Chong and Peter Reid, who played for both clubs and managed City.
With his angelic choir boy face – can he really be in his 33rd year now? – and a shock of strawberry blond hair akin to that of his fictional compatriot Tintin, Kevin De Bruyne looks like butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth.
You might think that the Belgium international is the kind of Premier League superstar you could entrust to do your nan’s shopping but looks can sometimes be deceptive. De Bruyne, a two-time recipient of the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award showed that there’s steel as well as silk to his game when he felled Everton’s James Tarkowski with a heavy challenge of which you might say he ‘left some on.’
Perhaps there was a bit of frustration that he’d started on the bench – City’s embarrassment of riches enabled Pep Guardiola to also name other established big names such as Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish and Bernado Silva among the substitutes, along with last summer’s £77 million buy Josko Gvardiol – or maybe it was because Everton were keeping their illustrious hosts at bay at the time, but you imagine that if the tackle had been the other way around, the spotlight of
Fortunately, after a few heart-stopping moments for Evertonians, teak tough Tarkowski, a Mancunian who was a boyhood United fan, got back on his feet and continued. Not only did the 31-year-old play 31 games or more for Burnley over five Premier League seasons, including 35 or more in the last four, but he has also been a constant in the competition for the Blues in his 61 appearances since arriving.
Tarkowski and goalie Jordan Pickford are known for their open communication at the back, demonstrating their strong personalities.
There was plenty of it at the Etihad Stadium, as usual, with one discussion taking place as England’s number one helped his giant centre-back back to his feet. However, with manager Dyche in the stands, this was an opportunity for all Everton players to encourage one another on the pitch. Despite the well-known presence of club captain Seamus Coleman, who did not play until the second half due to Ben Godfrey’s injury, other players also contributed significantly.
Everton also has Ashley Young, who is older and more experienced than Coleman. Young, a 38-year-old senior football veteran and former Watford teammate, was always encouraging his younger teammates, including 34-year-old Idrissa Gueye. Young congratulated Gueye for making a timely interception.
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