Everton have struggled once again in the Premier League this season with a relegation scrap plaguing the majority of their campaign and despite Sean Dyche improving the performances, there is still plenty of work to do at Goodison Park before it's over.
The Toffees climbed into 15th and went two points clear of the relegation zone following their well-fought draw against Chelsea on Saturday night but with the bottom half of the table unstable and tight for points from 12th down, survival is not a certainty ahead of their remaining ten league fixtures.
Indeed, there is no doubt the appointment of the former Burnley boss has had a positive impact on the Merseysiders with the side taking 11 points from his first eight games in charge so far and for some players, they have found their Everton careers revived upon his arrival.
Michael Keane, Dwight McNeil, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Ben Godfrey have all seen their game-time increase since the new manager took the reins and although the players who have been favoured will be thrilled, others will be disappointed to lose their place.
One player in particular who has rarely been seen in the new Dyche era is Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee Conor Coady, a player who despite Everton's struggles this season has quickly become a favourite for supporters owing to his dynamic centre-back partnership in the first half of the campaign alongside James Tarkowski.
Why isn't Conor Coady playing at Everton?
Despite dropping the 30-year-old former Wolves captain in the last four outings, the Everton boss both addressed his absence and sang the praises of Coady ahead of the clash with Chelsea:
"He’s been an immaculate professional, which everyone in the game has always suggested he is. And now I work with him I can see why, because he is."
"It’s fine margins with who we are picking at the moment because there are several players who could argue the case of getting (in the team). It enhances things less for your chances if the team is winning, not always but sometimes."
Over 22 league appearances, the £55k-per-week titan - hailed a "mentality monster" by former teammate Adam Morgan - has scored one goal, tallied up an 85% pass completion rate and six clean sheets, as well as averaging 3.7 clearances and winning 2.3 duels per game, proving that he is a huge influence defensively.
In spite of Dyche's improvements, the Goodison Park faithful have been bemused by the manager's decision to exile Coady with former Everton journalist Adam Jones baffled at the selection of Keane during the Chelsea clash:
"Michael Keane with a weak clearance for the opener, and missing an absolute sitter to make it 1-1.
"Meanwhile arguably Everton's best centre-back still sits on the bench. It's baffling."
To give a fair comparison when considering Coady's superiority over Keane due to the latter's lack of game-time this season, the England international outperformed the unpopular Toffees defender in many attributes last season including pass completion (89.5% v 76.4%), clearances (140 v 128), errors led to shots (0 v 2), take-on success (100% v 87.5%) and ball recoveries (162 v 149).
With that being said, the decision to play Keane over Coady could easily be Dyche's first and only howler at Everton so far with supporters likely to be hoping that Coady's absence won't negatively affect their chances of survival in the Premier League at the end of the season.