Everton will host Tottenham Hotspur at Goodison Park in their Premier League clash tomorrow evening and Sean Dyche must continue his pursuit to save the club from relegation over the remaining games this season.
The Toffees have dropped back into the relegation zone this afternoon due to West Ham United's victory over Southampton, so there will be even more pressure applied to the Everton boss to get a performance out of his team in front of the home support on Monday night.
Despite struggling to clutch a more comfortable position in the Premier League, the arrival of the former Burnley boss has sparked drastic improvements with 11 points taken from his eight league games in charge and the side are currently unbeaten in their last three.
Nevertheless, the Merseysiders have no room for error as the race for safety continues with so many teams up to 12th place in the table fighting to avoid a spell in the Championship next season and Dyche must continue to churn out positive results.
One player who could come into the team and make a positive impact on the side is Nathan Patterson, as the Scotsman has been picking up minutes in the U21s and, over the Euro qualifiers, earned some game-time with his native Scotland.
Will Nathan Patterson start vs Spurs?
Dyche may feel it's unnecessary to switch up his starting XI following the well-fought draw over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge ahead of the international break.
However, some players simply did not pull their weight in the fixture and without the fierce last-minute strike from Ellis Simms could've easily chalked up a defeat due to few positive impacts across the pitch.
Seamus Coleman put in an uninspiring shift in West London – losing three duels, being dribbled past once, completing just 12 accurate passes and failing to complete any of his long balls before being hooked in the 84th minute.
As a result, the time could be right to allow Patterson the opportunity to resume his role at right-back that he so perfectly executed in the opening games of the season.
Over 13 Premier League appearances, the 21-year-old – who was signed for £16m in 2021 – has won 58% of his duels combined and created one big chance, as well as averaging three tackles and 2.1 clearances per game, proving himself to be a well-rounded asset.
Patterson's bright start at Goodison Park this season was hailed by Danny Murphy with the Match of the Day pundit stating:
"He's got this desire to get forward and have an impact on the game, which I think is great. His defensive work is good, you can see the strength to keep the ball under pressure.
"He is a diamond, they really have got themselves a good player in the market. He is a terrific young player."
With that being said, Dyche should unleash the right-back as his wide array of qualities could be the perfect tonic in order to stump Spurs who will be seeking a new manager bounce.
