Day 4: Everton

Everyday, from now until Christmas Eve, we will take a look at a Premier League club and rate their season so far. Today, it is Everton’s turn to be put under the microscope as we continue our Premier League Christmas Countdown.

While I don't think Everton fans will be entirely happy with how their season has gone so far, there are still some positives that they can take. The relatively small number of losses is one, as they have just six, the same number as Tottenham this season. Currently, the Toffees are in 15th, but they have managed to put some much needed distance between themselves and the relegation zone in recent weeks.

An Awful August

August was a horrific month for the Toffees, with three losses all in embarrassing fashion. Their opening match was at home against Brighton, who themselves had struggled towards the end of last season. Everton lost the game 3-0 and had a man sent off. Their second game was even worse, as they were smashed 4-0 away at Tottenham. In both of these matches, they only managed a single shot on target in each.

This is looking bad for the home team 🥲 !!
📸 - RED CARD ASHLEY YOUNG!

EVE 0: 2 BHA pic.twitter.com/itP3OuGAEB

— Danique Daniella (@Daniquedaniel) August 17, 2024

The final game of August was the worst. Back home at Goodison, they were 2-0 up against Bournemouth with just five minutes of normal time to go, having managed to stop the Cherries getting even a single shot on target in the opening 80 minutes. The game ended 3-2 to Bournemouth as Everton became the first ever team in Premier League history to be leading by two goals in the 87th minute and still lose.

Improvements Showing

In September, Everton earned a draw and their first win, against Leicester and Crystal Palace respectively. Given the number of teams who were in and around the relegation zone struggling for points, this gave them a real kick up the table.

Everton’s top scorers at Goodison this season (Premier League)

Dwight McNeil - 2
Craig Dawson* - 2
Dominic Calvert-Lewin- 1
Michael Keane - 1
Beto - 1

*Craig Dawson plays for Wolverhampton Wanderers. pic.twitter.com/Lf3XuWbOCD

— Jon Shea (@jonsheaa) December 4, 2024

This only got better in October as the Toffees drew with Newcastle and Fulham and managed to beat Ipswich away from home, giving them their second win. The draws at this point seemed more valuable, as they were against top sides who were having an easier time beating Everton’s closest competitors.

No Goal November

Just as it seemed Everton were getting going again, they had a pretty poor month in November, as they failed to find the back of the net once. The month started with a 1-0 defeat to Southampton, the Saints’ only win this season thanks to a 85th minute goal.

The Toffees then played West Ham and Brentford, drawing both of those games 0-0. While these may look like decent results on the surface, West Ham are in a lot of trouble right now, and could be looking to sack Julen Lopetegui soon, so failing to score against a team as leaky as that was disappointing. Similarly, while Brentford are incredible at home, they are one of the worst teams away, so drawing with them at Goodison was not a good result.

🇸🇳 Iliman Ndiaye vs Premier League Wingers

◎ Attacking actions — 1st
◎ Offensive duels — 1st
◎ Dribbles — 2nd
◎ Accelerations — 3rd
◎ Accurate long passes, % — 3rd
◎ Defensive actions — 3rd
◎ Interceptions — 3rd

👨‍💼 Top 7 League profile: https://t.co/x147nNz0RN pic.twitter.com/WyWm6NZi7K

— DataMB (@DataMB_) December 5, 2024

The only silver lining in this period is their most recent game, when they beat Wolves 4-0. Wolves are in a really bad place, so to get a massive result like this against them, will give Everton encouragement. The Toffees were supposed to play Liverpool today, but that game has been postponed due to poor weather conditions.

I think their lack of goals will be a problem as those 0-0 draws in November could have easily been losses, so they can’t rely on other teams being worse than them to survive this season.

Player of the Season

I haven’t actually seen much of Everton this season, but from what I have, Iliman Ndaiye has been really good. The 24-year-old winger has two goals, but he offers more than that in the attack. He joined from Marseille in the summer and has impressed with his lightning quick feet and good hold up play as well as his ability to find the back of the net.

Season Rank: D

End of Season Prediction: 17th

Check out our Christmas Countdown article from yesterday.