the timing of Sean Dyche's sacking was bad, coming just hours before the team was due to play in the FA Cup, but Everton's owners reassured fans by acting quickly over the weekend and bringing in David Moyes Back to the club. The Friedkin Group has shown a tendency towards nostalgia if we are guided by its appointments in Rome. When Jose Mourinho left the club last January, they turned to club legend Daniele De Rossi. And when they parted ways with Ivan Juric earlier this season, the owners turned to Claudio Ranieri, a lifelong supporter who began his playing career at Roma.
Moyes' immediate goal is to consolidate Everton's place in the Premier League. Nobody in the club will want to play the first game your new stadium be in the championship. Everton flirted with relegation last season before winning four of their last six games to finish 15th, but failed to advance this season under Dyche. They were slowly sinking as the clubs beneath them found some form and confidence.
Wolves have improved since The appointment of Vítor Pereiraadding seven points in their first four games, including an impressive victory against Manchester United on Boxing Day. Ipswich, who looked so naïve in the early months of the season, are also starting to turn their fortunes around. They beat Chelsea and tied with Fulham over the Christmas period and appear to have found their place in the Premier League. Meanwhile, Everton have picked up just one point and scored one goal in their last five league games.
Moyes gets off to a rocky start as he looks to stop the rot. welcome to everton Villa Aston to Goodison Park on Wednesday night before facing Tottenham on Sunday afternoon. Moyes has been relegated to the back, with little time to prepare his players. Fortunately, the team adapts to its favorite formation, 4-2-3-1, and Dyche implemented this system routinely, so the players are well aware of its demands.
One thing Dyche did get right was defensive resolve. For all Everton's flaws, they have conceded just 25 goals in 19 league games this season; Only six teams have better defensive records. Only Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels (nine) has kept more clean sheets than Jordan Pickford (seven) in the division. With Ashley Young, James Tarkowski, Jarrad Branthwaite and Vitalii Mykolenko, Moyes has a solid, established defense to build on. In fact, they have conceded fewer goals than Manchester City.
The key will be to unlock an attack that has a lot of potential. Everton have been terrible in front of goal this season. They have only scored 15 goals (the second worst return in the league after Southampton); they have the worst conversion rate (only 6% of their shots have gone into the net); has created fewer clear scoring opportunities (20) than any other team; and they have failed to score in eight of their last 10 games. Wolves are one point and one place below Everton in the table, but have scored 31 goals, more than double Everton's. In fact, Mohamed Salah (18) has scored more goals than Everton (15).
Dyche is known for prioritizing defensive solidity and allowing opponents most of the possession, which can work as a strategy, but only if he poses a threat on the counter-attack. However, Everton are one of two teams in the league, along with Leicester, who have not scored a goal from a counterattack this season. Defending deep and having no way out is asking for problems on the field. first division.
This is where Moyes can make a big difference. No team scored more counterattacking goals last season than West Ham (nine). It is true that Moyes could turn to Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen, but Everton have players who could hurt their opponents in quick transitions. Iliman Ndiaye has completed more dribbles (49) than any other player in the Premier League this season, while Jesper Lindstrøm, Dwight McNeil and Jack Harrison are not far behind when receiving the ball in the final third.
With a solid set of midfield anchors to fall back on, attacking players should benefit from the added freedom to work their magic in the final third. McNeil's versatility, once he returns to action, and Ndiaye's directness should help Moyes implement a counter-attacking style similar to the one that worked well during his final season at West Ham.
Of course, it won't be an instant change of fortune or style at Goodison Park. Dyche has not solved the team's lack of goals in two years and Moyes only has a couple of days to convey his ideas to the players. But he speaks positively about what the team needs to do.
“I'm going to try to play as many games as possible to win,” he said this week. Moyes has already demanded more from Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has only scored two goals all season. “We all felt like he could be the one who could make a big difference. We will give him as much confidence as we can, but the player needs to stand up and do his bit too,” Moyes said. “I told him that I need goals from him immediately and that he has to start delivering. And we might try to get stronger in those areas if we can't get results ourselves.”
Importantly, the return of “Moyesiah” gives his fans something to celebrate. He left the club more than a decade ago but memories of their successes live on: they finished fourth in 2005, reached the FA Cup final in 2009 and qualified for Europe four times in 11 years. Everton fans have been frustrated by Dyche's reactive and ultimately unsuccessful style of play. At least under Moyes, there is reason for optimism heading into the second half of the season. He may not play the most glamorous football, but he is able to adapt depending on the team he has at his disposal.
With more than 1,000 games in charge, Moyes has enough experience to know that he cannot revolutionize a team's style mid-season. “We need a little bit of a Band-Aid right now,” he said this week. He will keep the task simple: get the team to score goals and win enough games to stay out of danger and guarantee Premier League football at their new stadium next season.
