Abdoulaye Doucoure insists that Sean Dyche is still the right manager for Everton after a 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth left the Blues with just 17 points at the halfway point of their Premier League season. Everton were a goal away from a first relegation in 72 years at the end of Dyche’s first campaign in charge but Doucoure’s 57th minute strike against Bournemouth on the final day ensured they stayed up by a single goal and despite a brace of points deductions last season for PSR breaches, their on-the-field results would have seen them finish level on 48 points with both 11th placed Brighton & Hove Albion and the Cherries.

However, defeat in Dorset in their opening fixture of 2025 leaves the Blues with less than half the number of points they accumulated in 2022/23, which was the lowest equivalent points total in the club’s entire history. Asked if he still had confidence in Dyche to turn the situation around, Doucoure said: “Of course. Sean Dyche came in a very difficult moment two years ago.

“Knowing all the difficulties we have had and financially we have had a lot of problems as well, he’s still the manager to be there for us because he keeps believing in us and keeps fighting. His idea doesn’t change and hopefully he is going to help us to get over the line.”

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Doucoure refused to be drawn on whether the current squad need help from new owners The Friedkin Group in terms of signings in the January transfer window but maintains there is sufficient quality within the group already, even if they need to be doing better. The midfielder said: “We will see. This is not a question for us as players but the club might want to look at that.

“There is quality in the squad to score goals. We just need to believe and the lack of belief at the moment is a problem for us, but we’re going to keep working and try to turn the thing around.”

The 32-year-old added: “We don’t create enough, that’s the problem. And when we had chances, we didn’t finish well.

“You have to score goals to win games, that’s the most important thing. It’s a collective responsibility, while it starts from the striker, everyone has to score, and at the moment, we can’t find a way.

“It’s very difficult at the moment. We can’t score, and we concede goals as well.

“It was very difficult for us against Bournemouth. In the first half we were not good enough, we said this at half-time and we tried to correct it in the second half but there were difficulties, and we conceded a goal at the worst moment.

“I think the game was more like a draw but obviously in the Premier League, all details count.”

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Everton were joint bottom of the Premier League when Dyche arrived after 20 games in January 2023 and Doucoure believes the group can draw upon those tough experiences to help them now. He said: “We’ve been in worse times than this. I know we won’t give up and the team still has belief.

“I know it is hard at the moment, and this season has been difficult so far. But we’re going to bounce back and try and make ourselves better.

“We need to keep trying, because the momentum is not with us right now. The three games that we played against three top six teams: Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City, were very good performances from us but the last two against tough opponents, we couldn’t cope with them.”

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One Blues player who is in form is England number one Jordan Pickford, who helped keep his side in the contest at the Vitality Stadium for so long until substitute David Brooks struck Bournemouth’s 77th minute winner and Doucoure admits that the goalkeeper’s team-mates need to be helping him more. He said: “At the moment, I think Jordan is playing very well. We need to support him more with the defence to concede fewer chances but I think he’s going to help us a lot over the rest of the season.”