Adrian Clarke looks at key tactical points and players who could be decisive in Matchday 21.
Team breakdown: Everton
After losing their last three games of 2023, Everton look for a restart when they host top-flight Aston Villa in their first Premier League game of the calendar year.
Everton will also be looking to avenge a resounding 4-0 defeat by Unai Emery’s side in August – and their hopes of doing so were boosted by Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s FA Cup third-round red card at Crystal Palace canceled. week.
Calvert-Lewin has gone 12 games without a goal in all competitions, but his strength and pace could pose a real threat to Villa’s top line.
His aerial prowess also has the potential to trouble them, especially if Everton can assert themselves enough to provide quality service in Villa’s box.
The striker, along with teammate Beto, is one of the strongest strikers in the division in winning aerial duels.
Top attackers for aerial duels
Player | Aerial duels/90 | Player | Aerial duels wins/90 |
---|---|---|---|
McBurney | 16.5 | McBurney | 8.1 |
Calvert-Lewin | 11.6 | Beto | 5.5 |
Morris | 11.4 | Calvert-Lewin | 5.1 |
Osula | 11.3 | Morris | 4.8 |
Beto | 10.6 | Wood | 4.7 |
They play to their strengths
In fact, Everton played well for big defeats against Tottenham and Manchester City.
The only poor performance came in a 3-0 aggregate defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers, so Sean Dyche will be keen to focus on the positives.
Aerial power is Everton’s key strength – they’ve won more aerial duels than any other team this season – so a refusal to engage in these types of contests could backfire.
Most aerial duels won in 2023/24
Club | Aerial duels won | Total aerial duels |
---|---|---|
Everton | 351 | 665 |
Nott’m Forest | 348 | 664 |
Luton Town | 336 | 687 |
Sheff Utd | 326 | 725 |
Liverpool | 319 | 559 |
Bradford | 314 | 651 |
Dyche’s biggest disappointment from those three defeats would be the way all three opponents imposed their own style on the Toffees.
Interestingly, all of those matches featured 20 or fewer aerial duels, all in the top five for the lowest tallies in Everton matches this season.
Everton’s opponents worked very hard to press and therefore stop Dyche’s men firing long balls and crosses towards their main striker, minimizing the aerial duels they had to contend with.
And in possession Everton’s opponents were building attacks that avoided lifting high crosses into the penalty area, which suited central defenders James Tarkowski, Jarrad Branthwaite and Michael Keane.
The table below highlights how the seven Toffees games which featured the fewest aerial duels were lost by Dyche’s side.
Everton’s games with the fewest aerial duels
Race | Aerial duels | Result |
---|---|---|
Manchester City (H) | 14 | L 3-1 |
Aston Villa (A) | 18 | L 4-0 |
Spurs (A) | 18 | L 2-1 |
Arsenal (H) | 19 | L 1-0 |
Wolves (A) | 20 | L 3-0 |
Fulham (H) | 24 | L 1-0 |
Wolves (H) | 24 | L 1-0 |
It is important that they ensure that this meeting at Goodison Park becomes the type of match that suits them best.
Force transitions
Another of Everton’s strengths is their directness on the counter.
They have had 20 shots from quick breaks this season, second only to AFC Bournemouth’s 21, so Villa, who like to push bodies forward, will have to be careful in transition.
Spurs struggled to contain Dyche’s side from breakaways in their recent encounter, with Everton racking up four quick-break shots.
This situation down the stretch saw Calvert-Lewin break through after some great work from Jack Harrison, who won the ball deep in his own half.
During Abdoulaye Doucoure’s three-game absence, Everton have not been as robust in the center of midfield, and this has limited their ability to force turnovers.
His imminent return, possibly against Villa, will increase their chances of sparking breakouts.
Their opponents will leave space behind them to meet.
Concerns about rigging
Another problem area for Dietz’s side has been set-piece defence, with eight concessions hurting them all season so far.
Not too many came from losing headers inside the box.
Instead, the bulk of Everton’s problems centered on slow reaction to an overload from close corners – Arsenal and Spurs both scored – and disorganization from the second phase in set pieces.
From this short corner, Spurs’ 3v2 allowed them into the box, and from a partially cleared cross, Son Heung-min scored.
![Spurs3v2](https://resources.premierleague.com/photos/2024/01/12/9ea8ab71-6032-4ab2-966e-0bef9eeef76e/Spurs3v2.jpg?width=1400&height=800)
![Spurs3v2](https://resources.premierleague.com/photos/2024/01/12/9ea8ab71-6032-4ab2-966e-0bef9eeef76e/Spurs3v2.jpg?width=1400&height=800)
Wolves scored twice from deliveries into the box when Everton were slow to respond to the initial clearance from a corner.
Manchester City’s Phil Foden also scored from outside the box when he didn’t close quickly enough from a rebound.
Although Everton have not been as poor as the results suggest, there is still plenty to work on as they seek to escape the drop zone.
If they fail to learn from recent mistakes, Villa are certainly good enough to punish them on Sunday.
Also in this series
Part 1: A rejuvenated Barkley can lead Luton to Premier League safety
Part 2: What Newcastle must do to withstand Manchester City’s pressure
Part 4: How can Man Utd unlock Hojlund’s huge potential?