The arrival of Jack Grealish has transformed Everton‘s style of play, with the Toffees looking like a much more fluid outfit since his loan signing from Manchester City.
After battling against relegation for several years, David Moyes has Everton ninth after six games, just three points off the top four — and it could have been much better were it not for recent disappointing home draws against Aston Villa and West Ham United.
Grealish has undoubtedly played a major role in that improvement, re-energising a previously stagnant Toffees attack.
In this article, we’ll cover
How David Moyes has unlocked Jack Grealish at Everton
“It’s down to him [Moyes] for giving me that platform to go and play the way I’ve been playing,” Grealish said of Moyes recently. “I don’t mean this in an arrogant way, but I do like it when managers say, ‘you’re the footballer, go and do what you want to do’.
“I’d rather someone just be like, ‘when you get the ball Jack, just go and play.’ That’s what he says to me. Obviously, you have your jobs, you have roles to do without the ball, but he says to me, ‘when you get the ball, just go and do what you want to do’.”
Maverick Jack Grealish
The data backs up Grealish’s assertion that Moyes has let him loose.
Grealish is eighth in the Premier League for take-ons attempted this season (22), completing nine of them. More importantly, he’s used his famous ball-carrying ability to draw more fouls (22) than any other player in the English top flight, mixing it up to get Everton out of dangerous situations and into threatening positions of their own.
Among players to clock up 400 minutes or more in a season for the Toffees on record since 2003/04, that’s the most fouls won per 90 (4.3) by any player.
Supporters love a maverick, but unfortunately, they’re a dying breed in the more tactically rigid landscape of modern football.
However, Everton have two of them in Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye, and it’s making them a far more exciting and interesting side to watch.
Grealish exceeding expectations at Hill Dickinson Stadium
The capture of Grealish was a major achievement for Everton this summer, underscoring their ambition after moving to a new stadium on the banks of the River Mersey.
Grealish has since admitted many around him questioned why he was going to Everton, reminding them himself how much of a ‘massive club’ the nine-time English champions are.
The 39-capped England international has gone on to become the cornerstone of Moyes’ attack, and the Scotsman has admitted that Grealish is exceeding the expectations he had of him upon arrival on Merseyside.
“He is even better than I thought,” said Moyes following a 3-2 win away at Wolves at the end of August, in which Grealish provided two assists, completed five dribbles and missed one big chance.
“He probably needs a bit of love and attention. He needs the games as well. Hopefully, he starts building on it and he gets even better as the season goes on.
“He is making a big difference. Whether it is his assists, his presence, lots of things. So all credit to him. He is playing the minutes he may not have had in recent years.
“You know, he’s so good. What Jack gives us is something just on the edge, which, hopefully it’s on the edge of creativeness and maybe scoring goals.”
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Grealish providing Everton’s spark, now he needs help
Everton recirculated a graphic on Friday showing that Grealish has created a Premier League-high 17 chances this season, surely in response to his incredibly harsh omission from the latest England squad.
That total sings to the tune of 1.8 expected assists and four actual assists — both once again league-highs. And for the record, teammate Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is third for chances created on 13, with the Everton duo sandwiching Bruno Fernandes (16).
Grealish needs to create 20 more chances to equal Everton’s top performer in this regard throughout the whole of last season, when Dwight McNeil set up 37 chances. Again, we’re only six games in!
His 3.3 chances created per 90 is also the highest on record for an Everton player, going back to the 2003/04 campaign.
Misfiring strikers wasting Grealish brilliance
Despite all of Grealish’s creative brilliance — and that of Dewsbury-Hall — Everton have still managed to score just seven goals so far this season. No team in the top half has scored fewer, while only the bottom six and Leeds (6) have a worse record throughout the entire Premier League.
Everton’s biggest problem remains the striker position.
The Toffees invested heavily to bring Thierno Barry on board from Villarreal in the summer, but he’s still adjusting to life in English football. The Frenchman is yet to score in eight appearances across all competitions so far this season, though he’s only been trusted to start once in the Premier League.
Beto has remained Moyes’ first choice so far, perhaps as a reward for eight of his 10 goals last season coming following the manager’s return to the club in January.
But that form has not been replicated, with Beto scoring just one Premier League goal so far and two across all competitions.
Everton are one of 10 Premier League sides to underperform their xG this season, doing so by 0.85.
It’s not even wastefulness that has hurt Beto and Barry. The problem is they’re not actually getting into the right positions to profit from Grealish’s creativity, averaging just 2.13 and 2.21 shots per 90, respectively, this season — placing them 79th and 72nd in the Premier League, respectively.
Only three of those chances have been created for Beto and Barry, who have just two shots on target to their name combined in the Premier League.
What next for Everton and Jack Grealish?
Some will be urging Grealish to start taking more shots himself — he’s only attempted three so far this season — while others will be expecting Everton to make a serious No.9 investment in January. Most will probably plead for both.
But while Everton’s long-running striker struggles continue, they at least now have a platform from which to build and an elite creator who can supply the ammunition.
And if Grealish continues in this manner, Everton won’t need asking twice to trigger their £50million buy option.