{"id":1489054,"date":"2026-09-12T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-12T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?post_type=features&p=1489054"},"modified":"2026-09-11T19:49:54","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T18:49:54","slug":"everton-analysis-squad-depth-attacking-stats-defence","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/everton-analysis-squad-depth-attacking-stats-defence\/","title":{"rendered":"The ticking time bomb that could derail Everton’s unbeaten start"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Even the most optimistic Everton<\/a> fan wouldn’t have predicted their side to be unbeaten after three games of the Premier League<\/a> season.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Toffees endured a wretched summer transfer window, with the likes of Iliman Ndiaye, Beto and Tim Iroegbunam leaving, while they missed out on prime striker target Folarin Balogun at the last minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, that hasn’t affected things on the pitch so far, with David Moyes’ men opening up with a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, before snatching last-minute draws against Bournemouth and Manchester United. All with a 4-0 demolition of Preston North End in the EFL Cup thrown in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But can Everton sustain this impressive start, or are they one wrong turn away from disaster?<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Underlying attacking worries<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In terms of raw numbers, Everton are performing very well in the final third. The Toffees are sixth for chances created (36) and seventh for shots (47), while only the Manchester sides have had more shots on target (18).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, it’s been quantity over quality for Moyes’ side, with those shots amounting to just 4.0 xG. Only five sides have generated less, three of which — Coventry, Tottenham and Aston Villa — are yet to score a goal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everton dominated in their opening 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Thierno Barry scoring with high-quality chances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, in their 1-1 draw against Bournemouth, it was a James Tarkowski effort from a corner in the 91st minute that earned them a point following some dreadful misses from Barry. Meanwhile, against Man Utd, two thunderous strikes after the 80th minute snatched the draw: a powerful Tyrique George strike from an acute angle and a long-range rocket from Ainsley Maitland-Niles, each of which probably would have blazed high and wide nine times out of 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was much optimism after Barry opened the season with his strike against Palace and a hat-trick in the cup against Preston. Since then, however, he’s missed three big chances and failed to score. If this is a return to form, that’s a problem, with the Frenchman being Everton’s only recognised striker. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There’s a lot to like about Everton’s attack, especially considering they sold Ndiaye to Man City and haven’t fully re-integrated Jack Grealish yet. However, there are worrying signs that things could grind to a halt soon if they’re not careful. <\/p>\n\n\n