How Big Sam plans to salvage Everton’s campaign
EVERTON are expected to finally bring their search for a new permanent manager by hiring Sam Allardyce, a Premier League veteran and a specialist in short-term salvage operations.
After steering Sunderland and Crystal Palace away from trouble in consecutive campaigns, Allardyce’s task will be to do the same with an expensive squad lacking in coherence and confidence.
Back in September, he outlined just how he would do it. Alongside Jamie Carragher on Monday Night Football, Allardyce set out his plan for Premier League survival while previewing West Ham United’s victory over Huddersfield Town.
The blueprint was dismissed by some as simply a list of coaching clichés and one of its recommendations, ‘exploit the opposition’s weaknesses’, is somewhat generalised and vague.
The rest of Allardyce’s points make clear sense though and, as we might expect from a coach who pioneered data analysis in English football, they are measurable and quantifiable.
The question is whether this Everton side are suited to executing Allardyce’s plan, and the scale of the task at hand becomes clear from the blueprint’s very first bullet point.
Clean sheets
EVERTON have shut their opponents out just once so far this season, and that single clean sheet came on the opening weekend in a 1-0 win over Stoke City.
That is the joint-worst record in the Premier League so far this season. Allardyce’s last employers Crystal Palace secured their first shut-out of the
campaign on Tuesday night to equal Everton’s tally.
Everton have also conceded more goals (28) than any other top-flight side, two more than the next worst defence — that of last night’s opponents, West Ham United.
Don’t lose possession in your own half
ALLARDYCE will want to get the basics right, which means keeping Everton’s wayward passes and turnovers down to a minimum.
Under Ronald Koeman and David Unsworth this season, Everton have successfully completed 76 per cent of their passes — a distinctly average figure when compared to the rest of the division.
Allardyce will not be particularly concerned if this figure stays the same or regresses, however, so long as the misplaced passes predominantly happen further up the pitch.
Play the first pass forward
THERE are still some misconceptions about Allardyce’s methods, but it is fair to say that he prefers a more direct style of play, particularly when scrapping for points in a bid for survival.
A key element of his approach is passing the ball forward at the first time of asking. This would add some much-needed speed to a side that have been accused of being cumbersome and ponderous with the ball.
Allardyce will certainly have to hope that his Everton side move quicker than Koeman’s, who progressed up the pitch at just 1.04 metres-per-second during his final days at Goodison Park, the slowest rate of any top-flight team.
Win knock-downs and transitions
THE next category offers a little more promise but also cause for concern. Transitions require interceptions, and this Everton side have made more of those than all but one other top-flight team: Crystal Palace.
The caveat is that, as a team that play without the ball more often than not, Everton are in a position to make more interceptions than possession-heavy sides like Man City. Nevertheless, the raw total of interceptions is promising, while an acceptable if average tackling rate can be improved upon.
Allardyce will be more concerned by his new side’s aerial ability, or lack thereof, if he wants to win headers and knock-downs. Everton have won just 46 per cent of the aerial balls they have contested so far this season. Again, that figure is the worst in the Premier League.
Set-pieces
ALLARDYCE, like fellow survival specialist Tony Pulis, is aware of the edge that comes with effective set-pieces. At Everton, it is an area in need of significant improvement.
It is fair to say that Everton have not used set-pieces to their advantage so far this season, with their 29 attempts on goal from dead ball situations representing the third-lowest total in the Premier League.
This needs to be corrected, and in Gylfi Sigurdsson, Everton at least have a player who has proven to be an excellent Premier League set-piece taker for their £45m outlay on the Icelander.
Quality in the final third
FOR a squad supposedly packed with too many creative No.10s, Everton do not create enough quality chances.
Granted, their conversion rate (12.7%) could be improved, but their expected goals total of 14 is just slightly higher than their number of goals scored (13), suggesting that their finishing has not been the biggest problem.
Allardyce should concentrate on squeezing more chances from better positions out of his new squad. Only four of Everton’s attempts on goal in the league this season have come from inside the six-yard box. All statistics taken before last night’s Premier League games