Everton have found themselves once again facing the prospect of relegation from the Premier League, and recently-appointed manager Sean Dyche will be searching for solutions to secure survival over the remainder of the season.
The Toffees are currently 18th in the top-flight table ahead of their clash against relegation rivals Leeds United at Goodison Park on Saturday, and a win over their visitors this weekend could be monumental in the fight to retain their Premier League status by the end of the season.
Following a poorly-fought defeat at Anfield in the Merseyside derby on Monday night, Dyche must look at what tweaks and changes he can make to improve Everton’s performances and work rate on the pitch by evaluating which players aren’t pulling their weight.
One player who has struggled to make his presence known since the arrival of the former Burnley boss on Merseyside at the end of last month is Ukrainian left-back Vitaliy Mykolenko.
Should Dyche ditch Mykolenko?
The 23-year-old joined the club just over 12 months ago when he was signed by Rafael Benitez just days before the Spaniard’s sacking, but he remained a key player in Frank Lampard’s starting line-ups and has continued in that role since Dyche took over too.
However, it could become increasingly difficult for the current Everton boss to ignore Mykolenko’s poor performances, as the full-back has become something of a liability on the left flank, especially in the Toffees’ most recent clashes against Arsenal and Liverpool.
Despite the incredible 1-0 victory over the Gunners, Mykolenko was one of the lowest-rated players in the team (6.6) according to Sofascore, being dribbled past four times, winning just four of his 12 duels, committing three fouls and failing with 100% of his dribble attempts.
In the 2-0 defeat to Liverpool earlier this week, he continued his poor form as the lowest-rated Everton defender (6.6 from Sofascore), being dribbled past three times, losing seven of his duels, giving away four fouls and failing with both of his crosses.
As a result, Dyche must finally ditch the £58k-per-week dud and look to the depth of his squad to replace the Ukrainian on the left of the back four, with Ben Godfrey a potential option for the manager heading into the Leeds clash this weekend. The 25-year-old has played 14 times at left-back in the Premier League since joining from Norwich in 2020.
Taking all three points on Saturday could be crucial for Everton, and although it may be a big risk to drop a player in Mykolenko who has become an experienced figure in the team, it could also pay off massively, as it seems clear that the 23-year-old is out of form and could be a problematic presence if kept in the team.
