Everton have a solid defence. David Moyes’ job is to add goals | Everton

TThe timing of Sean Dyche’s sacking was poor, coming just hours before the team played in the FA Cup, but the Everton owners reassured fans by acting quickly at the weekend and bringing David Moyes back to the club. The Friedkin group has shown a penchant for nostalgia, if their Roma appointments are anything to go by. When José 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 at the club wants the first game at their new stadium to be in the Championship. Everton flirted with relegation last season before winning four of their last six games to finish 15th, but they have not kicked on this season under Dyche. They sank slowly as the clubs below them found some form and confidence.

Wolves have improved since Vítor Pereira’s appointment, picking up seven points in their first four games, including an impressive win against Manchester United on Boxing Day. Ipswich, who looked so naïve in the early months of the season, have also started to turn their fortunes around. They beat Chelsea and drew with Fulham over the Christmas period and look to have found their footing in the Premier League. Everton, meanwhile, have scored just once in their last five league games.

Moyes is off to a difficult start as he looks to stop the rot. Everton welcome Aston Villa to Goodison Park on Wednesday night before taking on Tottenham on Sunday afternoon. Moyes has been dropped into the deep end, with little time to prepare his players. Fortunately, the squad fits his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation and Dyche routinely implemented this system so the players are well versed in its demands.

One thing that Dyche got right was the defensive decision. For all Everton’s faults, they have only conceded 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. In Ashley Young, James Tarkowski, Jarrad Branthwaite and Vitalii Mykolenko, Moyes has an established and solid back-four to build on. In fact, they have conceded fewer goals than Manchester City.

The key will be unlocking an attack that has plenty of potential. Everton have been tough in front of goal this season. They have scored just 15 goals (the second worst return in the league after Southampton); they have the worst conversion rate (only 6% of their shots have found the net); they have created fewer clear goalscoring opportunities (20) than any other team; and they have not scored in eight of their last 10 games. Wolves are one point and one place below Everton in the table, yet they have scored 31 goals – more than double Everton’s tally. In fact, Mohamed Salah (18) has scored more goals than Everton (15).

Dyche is known for prioritizing defensive solidity and giving the opposition the lion’s share of possession, which can work as a strategy, but only if you carry 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 counter-attack this season. Defending deep and not having a way out is asking for trouble in the Premier League.

This is where Moyes can make a big difference. No team scored more counter-attacking goals last season than his West Ham side (nine). Admittedly, Moyes could call on Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen, but Everton have players who can hurt 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 no slouch when receiving the ball in the final third.

With a solid set of midfield anchors to call upon, the attacking players should take advantage of the added freedom to work their magic in the final third. McNeil’s versatility when he returns to action and Ndiaye’s directness should help Moyes implement a similar counter-attacking style to the one that worked well in his last season at West Ham.

Of course, it won’t be an immediate change of fortunes or style at Goodison Park. Dyche failed to fix the team’s lack of goals for two years and Moyes has only a few days to get his ideas across to the players. But he speaks positively about what the team has to do.

“I will try to play as many games to win,” he said this week. Moyes has already demanded more from Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has scored just two goals all season. “We all feel he could be the one who could make a big difference. We want to give him as much confidence as we can, but you need the player to stand up and do his thing,” said Moyes. “I have told him I need goals from him immediately and he needs to start delivering. And we may look to strengthen ourselves in those areas if we cannot achieve results ourselves.”

Importantly, the return of “Moyesiah” gives followers something to celebrate. He left the club more than ten years ago, but the memories of his successes live on: he 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 fruitless style of play. At least with Moyes, there is reason for optimism for the second half of the season. He may not play the most glamorous brand of football, but he is able to adapt depending on the squad at his disposal.

With more than 1,000 games in charge, Moyes is experienced enough to know that he cannot revolutionize a team’s style midway through the season. “We need a bit of a Band-Aid at the moment,” he said this week. He will keep the task simple: get the team to score goals and win enough games to pull away from danger and guarantee Premier League football at their new stadium next season.

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