{"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":"2026-10-06T09:21:01","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T08:21:01","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<\/a>, Beto and Tim Iroegbunam<\/a> leaving. They also missed out on prime striker target Folarin Balogun<\/a> at the last minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, that hasn’t affected things on the pitch so far. David Moyes<\/a>‘ men opened with a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace<\/a>, before snatching last-minute draws against Bournemouth<\/a> and Manchester United<\/a>. All with a 4-0 demolition of Preston North End<\/a> in the Carabao Cup<\/a> 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 Expected Goals. Only five sides have generated less. Three of which — Coventry City<\/a>, Tottenham Hotspur<\/a> and Aston Villa<\/a> — 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<\/a> and Thierno Barry<\/a> scoring high-quality chances. However, James Tarkowski<\/a>‘s effort from a 91st-minute corner earned the Toffees a point agianst Bournemouth following some dreadful misses from Barry. Meanwhile, against Man Utd, two thunderous strikes after the 80th minute snatched the draw. A powerful Tyrique George<\/a> strike from an acute angle and a long-range rocket from Ainsley Maitland-Niles<\/a>. 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 Manchester City<\/a> and haven’t fully re-integrated Jack Grealish<\/a> yet. However, there are worrying signs that things could grind to a halt soon if they’re not careful.<\/p>\n\n\n