Everton's Sean Dyche brushes off 'crisis talk' despite rocky start

After back-to-back seasons in which they effected last-gasp escapes from relegation, the new campaign has started in the worst possible way after losing to Fulham and Aston Villa.

"To be honest ever since I got here, everybody's talked about us 'needing a lift' and words get thrown around like ˜crisis', all these bad noises and negatives," said Dyche.

"It's just the way Everton's been for a number of months - years even. So it's our job to change the story. It always starts on the pitch, with me and the team changing the rhetoric.

"We haven't done that yet this season but we're two games in. You can't measure a season on two games, particularly after playing so well against Fulham, but you don't get the win and it changes the story yet again.

"You win that and the story is a different one."

Everton's problems show no signs of easing as striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin will see a specialist on Friday to assess the extent of his cheekbone injury.

The England international has been ruled out of Saturday's visit of Wolves, who have also lost their first two games, due to the blow to the head he sustained in a collision with Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez in last weekend's 4-0 defeat.

However, until he has further assessment, Dyche is unable to put a timescale on the problem.

"He's seeing a specialist tomorrow. The specialist advice before he checked it properly was he needed the swelling to settle down," said the Toffees boss.

"Unfortunately he will miss the weekend, but that's part of him hopefully getting the right answer and the protocols we need to follow."

A hamstring injury to midfielder Alex Iwobi will sideline him for weeks.

"Al unfortunately has hurt his hamstring, I think that was obvious to all. It's certainly not going to be days, it might be weeks, we'll wait and see as it heals," added Dyche.

Financial restrictions off the field make bolstering the squad in the final days of the window difficult and this week's collapse of the deal with United States-based investors MSP Sports Capital for a 25 per cent share in the club have dealt another blow to progress.

"It doesn't really impact us in the sense that the guidelines and parameters from a signing players point of view and working in the market, have been there anyway," said Dyche in reference to the restrictions he is working under.

"With deals at any club, certainly the Premier League, there are so many checks certainly for investors, they just don't get done in a day or a week.

"That's ongoing on the business side of the club and I don't get involved in that, quite obviously, but regarding ourselves and signing players, we know we've got to work hard in the market.

"We know we have to find ways of creating deals and making them happen because we haven't got pots of gold to make them happen. I knew that when I got the job."

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