The proof Marco Silva's Everton have well and truly left Sam Allardyce era behind
Everton finish eighth for second consecutive season but Silva has given Blues new identity and improvement in all areas
A strong display and a 2-2 draw away at Champions League finalists Tottenham Hotspur saw Everton finish their season on a high note.
That result ensured the Toffees equalled the same eighth place finish they secured last season under short-term boss Sam Allardyce.
After his arrival in the summer, it was a bright start to life at Goodison Park for
Marco Silva, with his side sitting inside the top-six heading into December. Yet defeat in the Merseyside derby in December sparked a difficult period midway through the campaign which saw the Blues win just three of their following 14 league matches.
After a 17-day break in February,
Everton rallied and lost just two of their final 11 league matches - five of which came against top six sides.
This great run of form saw Silva’s side make a late push towards seventh and a potential European spot. Unfortunately, they fell just short behind Wolves and were forced to settle for a repeat of last season’s positioning.
Although there was no progression in terms of their league standing, they picked up five more points in the league and there was plenty of improvement in Everton’s underlying numbers to suggest fans should be optimistic for the seasons ahead under their Portuguese manager.
Everton showed a lot more attacking intent this season which was illustrated by the fact they scored 54 league goals - 10 more than they managed last season.
They also conceded just 44 league goals, that ranks them joint-fifth in the division with Wolves. This contributed to their goal difference being a huge +22 goals better off this term compared to the last.
There was also a noticeable increase in Everton’s ball possession average, from 46.5% to 51.1% and indeed their number of passes.
This is as a direct result of Silva’s willingness to try and dominate possession of the ball and be the commanding side in matches as often as possible - a blueprint of all top teams.
Everton’s increase in attacking intent is further reiterated by the number of shots and crosses they have had this season. Guided under Allardyce for the bulk of a turbulent campaign last year, Everton ranked 19th and 20th in terms of shots on goal and crosses into the box.
This season the Blues rank 9th for the number of shots on goal and fifth for the number of crosses into the box.
Ranking inside the top five in this department isn’t a surprise given the level of quality Everton now possess within the flank positions. Both Lucas Digne and Seamus Coleman have proven two key attacking outlets for the Blues this season, with the like of Bernard and Richarlison also proving a threat in these areas.
Whilst not as robust in defence as Silva would have liked - particularly from set-pieces in which Everton have conceded a Premier League high 16 goals - as alluded to earlier, they boast a better defensive record than Allardyce’s Everton and possess better underlying numbers too.
The Blues allowed the opposition 524 shots on their goal last season which ranked an underwhelming 15th in the league. However this season, thanks to largely improved and settle centre-back pairing of Kurt Zouma and Michael Keane, they allowed just 363 which ranks them 4th overall in the division.
Another striking factor in Silva’s philosophy is illustrated in Everton’s Passes Per Defensive Action (PPDA) average this season. PPDA focuses on how many passes a team allows before pressing to regain the ball.
A team who has a lower number of PPDA deploys an aggressive press, looking to regain possession as quickly as possible high up the pitch.
Everton rank joint-second this season behind only Manchester City with a PPDA average of 9.26, this further illustrates Silva’s want for his side to press and regain possession as soon as possible and thereafter dominant on the ball.
Their proficiency in this department has also brought success against some of the better sides in the league - of the top-six, only City have defeated Everton since the turn of the year. This was because against these top ball playing teams, Everton have preferred to relinquish possession of the ball, remain in an organised block, looking to force the opposition into mistakes through their strong pressing ability high up the pitch.
Overall, Everton now rank inside the top-ten in the division in each of those eight specific key departments on the pitch, whereas last season they ranked inside the bottom ten in six of those eight areas.
There is no doubt Silva has done a great job of bestowing his own identity on this Everton side and implementing plenty of improvement’s across the pitch.
The Toffees have solidified themselves as a top-eight side and under the stewardship of Silva, if they can benefit from a strong summer in the transfer market, they stand a good chance of mounting a serious and sustained charge on the league's top-six next season.
Everton finish eighth for second consecutive season but Silva has given Blues new identity and improvement in all areas
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