Everton started the 2021-22 Premier League season in decent form and are looking like a team that will compete to finish in the top six or above. Recently, over the past few weeks, Rafa Benitez’s men have had a bad run of results which has seen them drop to 10th in the Premier League standings. They have lost their last three league games against West Ham, Watford, and Leeds United. In this post, we will look at the stats and analyze the Everton side.
Rafa Benitez’s Everton had recorded their 14 points in just the first seven games and were looking to compete for a top-four spot. Their recent loss in form has led them to stay on 14 points after 10 games and have dropped down to the 10th spot in the Premier League standings.
The above viz shows the xGa or expected goals against stats recorded by all the Premier League teams after ten games. Everton’s xGA is at 13.02, which means it can be expected from them to concede somewhere around 13 goals. Instead, they have conceded a total of 16 goals so far in the league. Out of the 16, they have conceded nine goals in the last four games, and this change in form has been the major problem that the Toffees could face.
In terms of attacking, the Toffees have an xG of a little over 15, which is the eighth highest xG in all of the Premier League. They have managed to score 16 goals in their 10 games. They have only scored thrice in the last four and had scored 12 in the first eight games. At one point, they were looking like strong contenders for a top-four spot, but the recent drop in form has led them to come down in the standings.
A major problem for Rafa Benitez’s men has been their poor passing. They have recorded the third lowest number of successful passes in the league after the first 10 games. This is a big problem, as the Toffees are expected to have more of the ball, playing creative football.
Everton will hope to bounce back from this drop in form, to compete for a higher place, either in the top-four to play in the Champions League, or at least in the top-six to play in the Europa League. For this to happen, Benitez has to make sure that Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison, and all his other players stay in good touch and perform for most parts of the season.
