Everton have won their last three games after picking up just six points from their first six games in the Premier League.
Marco Silva’s arrival in the summer was a clear sign that Everton wanted to move away from Sam Allardyce’s brand of football.
Allardyce had arrived last November as a replacement for Ronald Koeman and with the goal of comfortably steering Everton away from the relegation zone.
While he did eventually do that, it’s safe to say that few were happy with the style and atmosphere in the team which was perceived as far too negative for a team of their ambition.
When Silva arrived – the man they had originally wanted a year ago – he was asked to move the club back in the direction they wanted to go, and recent games suggest he’s doing just that.
Everton averaged just a single point from their first six games in the Premier League and while there was real promise there, things weren’t quite clicking into place.
But when you see the statistics from their last three games, all wins, it’s clear that Silva is getting Everton where he, and they, want to be.
The Toffees averaged a little over 11 shots a game in their first six, according to Sky Sports, but that’s risen dramatically to 18 – an average that has them in line with the very top teams in the league.
The same can be said for their shots on target, too, rising from 4.3 to six per game – a little more than Chelsea are averaging over the season.
Everton are also conceding far less shots than they were – seven down from 11, with shots on target dropping to under two per game – meaning that their all-around game is looking very good.
The key thing is that their possession has only risen by 3%, a sign that this isn’t a change in style that has brought this about but rather much-improved efficiency.
If Silva keeps this progression up over the next few games, Everton could be looking at a very effective and promising side.
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