Everton’s loss to Fulham was tough to take, given it was a game they should, really could have won.
Although they played poorly, there were more than enough chances to put the game to bed before penalties ultimately decided the tie. As a well-documented lottery, the foolishness of Amadou Onana certainly did not aid proceedings, who fluffed his vital spot kick to keep the visitors alive.
Sean Dyche will have been furious, but likely will realise that this marks a minor setback after months of genuinely ground-breaking progress for the Toffees.
And whilst the performance was disappointing, it was a decidedly leggy one too, perhaps hinting at another issue plaguing the squad.
In fact, in his post-match interview with the club, the 52-year-old boss would even take aim at the Premier League and EFL for the fixture pile-up that occurs around this time of year.
He noted, when asked about injuries: ‘Yeah we’ll see, I mean we’re having to kind of in between these games with fixtures schedule that we’re all going ‘Well I don’t know why you need that many in December when we haven’t got that many in January.’ Anyway, that’s the way it goes.’
It is a statement that sees him align with Jurgen Klopp on the matter, who so often has called for the immense workload during the festive period to be eased.
What has Jurgen Klopp said about fixture pile-up in the past?
As a vocal advocate for a reduction in the fixture list, Liverpool’s German manager has taken every opportunity to outline his displeasure at the rate with which his side are forced to feature.
Especially given their presence in numerous competitions in recent years, such a notion has only been exacerbated.
Although many often lambast his notion, which can often seem lazy and unimportant, it is no surprise that around this period, where games come thick and fast, the likes of Newcastle United, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and even the Toffees are all suffering from a tough bout of injuries.
2019 saw one particularly effusive outburst from Klopp, who noted: ‘We have to find solutions. The problems are obvious. Every year we do the same again. Some find it funny – ‘five games in three days – let’s see how it works out.
‘I don’t want to cancel competitions. I am from Germany – why would I want to cancel English competitions? We cannot carry on like this. We have to sit down at the table and at one point find solutions. The solutions so far are more problems.’
He would echo this sentiment again in 2021, receiving support from both Antonio Conte and his captain Jordan Henderson.
With Dyche now seemingly on his side, it marks a powerful and poignant ally given his no-nonsense and hard-working beliefs.
