Sean Dyche has been handed yet another blow in his bid to keep Everton in the Premier League this season, it has been reported.
Everton struggling to find form
Everton are fighting for their Premier League lives once again, but don't have it entirely in their own hands. Having been found guilty of a Financial Fair Play breach earlier in the season, the Toffees were docked six points. They could yet be docked more points should they be found guilty of a second breach, with the decision set to be made by 8th April at the latest.
As it stands, they sit four points clear of the drop zone, and another deduction could see them slip towards the bottom three and Nottingham Forest, who themselves have been docked four points.
Pos
Team
Played
GD
Points
16
Everton
28
-10
25*
17
Luton Town
29
-18
22
18
Nottingham Forest
29
-16
21*
19
Burnley
29
-34
17
20
Sheffield United
28
-50
14
Though Dyche's Everton have created plenty of chances, they have a serious inability to find the back of the net with any regularity, and Abdoulaye Doucoure remains their top goalscorer with six, despite not having scored since December.
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According to expected goals, Everton should have scored 19 more than they have managed. The second-biggest underperformance in the Premier League is Brentford, who have found the net eight fewer times than their efforts deserve.
In fact, Everton's is the biggest underperformance in Europe's top five leagues, with Ligue 1 side Nice second to the Toffees with an underperformance of 13.76.
On top of that, Dyche is seeing his squad hit by injuries.
Lewis Dobbin latest absentee
Now, it has emerged that young winger Lewis Dobbin is set to miss at least part of the campaign's remaining games after picking up an injury over the international break.
The youngster scored his first Premier League goal earlier in the season and has made 11 substitute appearances for the Toffees this term. He was part of the warm-weather training camp in Portugal, but has since picked up an injury.
As per the Liverpool Echo, the injury came about in a 'freak accident' in training, which resulted in Dobbin suffering damaged ligaments, though it was not bad enough to require surgery, as had been initially feared.
Dyche explained ahead of the clash with Bournemouth that there was no obvious return date for Dobbin just yet.
“It is better news than we thought. He hurt his ankle and was very unlucky – he fell over, landed on someone’s foot and it tilted his ankle. We thought it might need an operation, it doesn’t, which is good news, so now it is just the timescales of getting him back.”
Dobbin now joins Arnaut Danjuma on the sidelines in what will come as a blow to any hopes Dyche harboured of freshening up his misfiring attack over the international break.