Sean Dyche gives blunt assessment of own performance and sends warning to Everton players after Chelsea

Sean Dyche had a simple answer when asked what he demanded his team do better on Sunday: “Everything.”

That same answer applied to his own work, he added, in a turn of honesty at the end of what has been a difficult week at Finch Farm.

Shellshocked by what he had witnessed on Monday night at Chelsea, it is clear recent days have involved reflection on all potential factors behind how his team capitulated so dramatically, so quickly.

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For Dyche, that has meant looking at himself as well as everything else. He remains confident in his ability to see Everton through this latest crisis. Two key pieces of evidence back up that belief - that he was able to steer the club to safety in tough circumstances last season and that, this season, despite a long list of problems that have undermined his efforts, his players have somehow managed to earn enough points to be well clear of a survival fight. Eight deducted points for matters outside his control prevent this season from being acknowledged as one of progress thoughand events at Stamford Bridge highlighted the complexity of saving Everton.

Dyche was critical of his players on Monday after the game, responding to questions from the ECHO by suggesting there had been a lack of desire to tackle, that his tactics had not been followed and that all but Dwight McNeil and Vitalii Mykolenko had come close to delivering.

Dyche has been through similar experiences with this group of players - most notably 12 months ago, when a 4-1 home defeat to Newcastle United felt like a hammer