View: 83% star could get Sean Dyche sacked at Everton as problem emerges

Iliman Ndiaye was hardly involved as Everton lost 1-0 to Southampton on Saturday and Sean Dyche is to blame.

There was an air of positivity at Goodison as the calendar turned to November and the Toffees began the new month on the back of a five-game unbeaten run.

However, it was quickly replaced by worry after an 86th-minute goal from Adam Armstrong at St. Mary’s on Saturday (2 November) left the Merseyside-based club looking down the relegation barrel again.

If losing to a Saints side that had only picked up one point in their opening nine games was not painful enough, it exposed several other problems that could hurt the team in the longer run, including one that involved Ndiaye – arguably the player of the season so far.

Sean Dyche has Iliman Ndiaye problem at Everton

Ndiaye had one of his dullest performances in an Everton shirt against Southampton, registering just 26 touches of the ball – the second-lowest tally among teammates who started (Sofascore) – before being replaced by Jack Harrison in the 62nd minute.

Meanwhile, Jesper Lindstrom, on the opposite wing, had 49 touches, although he was on the pitch 26 minutes longer.

It would not have been as much of a problem had Ndiaye’s touches come in dangerous areas. However, a quick glance at his heat map shows that most of his on-the-ball actions happened closer to the halfway line than the goal, which is not ideal for the team’s best attacker and player.

This highlights how Dyche is restricting the Senegal international by playing him out wide.

Although Ndiaye has displayed his versatility on multiple occasions, he spent most of last season playing centrally for Marseille. It is perhaps time for Dyche to start doing the same as it would be criminal for one of the team’s best attackers to be as uninvolved as he was at St. Mary’s.

Having literally and figuratively been left on the periphery of the game, the 24-year-old managed to complete just 10 passes, albeit with 83 per cent success. He was not effective even when he was on the ball, losing possession seven times.

The Ndiaye situation is a dilemma for Dyche as Dwight McNeil has bore fruit playing centrally, chipping in six-goal contributions in the league.

McNeil, though, spent most of his Burnley days on the left flank and there is no reason why he cannot excel there for Everton as well. Therefore, the manager must consider moving Ndiaye centrally if he wants to save his job.

That could also pave the path for a new partnership between Dominic Calvert-Lewin and the Senegalese.

In other Everton news, some Toffees players could leave the club if Dyche is not shown the door soon.

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