The statistics show that Everton’s struggles of 2017 have been greatly exaggerated.
Everton fans might reflect on 2017 as a disappointing year for the club.
Top scorer Romelu Lukaku left for Manchester United and Ronald Koeman was sacked as manager after wasting £135m of summer investment – sum reported by the Daily Mail – with Sam Allardyce the unambitious choice as his replacement after their awful early-season form prompted relegation scares.
But one reason for Toffees supporters to remember the past 12 months fondly is their home form.
In fact, Everton have already set club Premier League records for the most wins (14) and most goals (44) at Goodison Park in a calendar year ahead of their penultimate home match of 2017 against Swansea City on Monday.
Those 14 victories included a 4-0 thrashing of the now untouchable Manchester City in January, and a run of eight league wins in a row in the rosier Koeman days in which Lukaku made Everton a prolific force on their own patch.
Times have been tougher in the second half of the year. Only five of the 14 home wins have come since the start of this season, and Goodison has witnessed heavy defeats at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.
Allardyce is restoring optimism to the Everton faithful having overseen two home wins from two since his appointment, with the Toffees also keeping clean sheets in successes over West Ham United and Huddersfield Town.
Bottom-of-the-table Swansea should be easy pickings, but the visit of Chelsea two days before Christmas gives Everton the opportunity to finish 2017 at Goodison Park the way that it started – on a massive high.
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