Everton started their Premier League campaign with a bang after defeating Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 on Sunday evening.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s 55th-minute header secured all three points for the Blues who maintained their early season feel-good factor and simultaneously secured the clubs first win away at a top-six side in 40 matches.
The opening game of the season is always exciting for any set of football fans, however, this season, Evertonians have been particularly enthusiastic about their teams prospects thanks in no small part to the great transfer business the club has done so far.
That budding optimism heightened further on Sunday afternoon as it was revealed that Carlo Ancelotti had opted to start each of Allan, Abdoulaye Doucoure and James Rodriguez for the clash with Jose Mourinho’s side.
There were some lingering concerns as to whether the trio would have been forced to settle for a spot on the bench initially given their lack of training with their new teammates across the previous week. However, Ancelotti’s decision to start all three proved to be an act of genius and a real statement of intent from the Italian coach.
Across the course of the 90 minutes, each of those new recruits illustrated why both Ancelotti and Marcel Brands worked tirelessly to bring them to Goodison Park.
Through the middle, Allan sat deepest within the midfield and provided the Blues backline with the layer of protection that they sorely missed last season, snuffing out Spurs attacks and hoovering up loose balls. Alongside him, Doucoure illustrated an unrelenting energy, pressing and dispossessing at crucial moments but also exploding and driving the Blues up the pitch in transitions.
Then there was Rodriguez who’s debut was as majestic as many Everton fans had hoped. He glided across the pitch, applying faultless first touches and effortlessly executing brilliant drilled passes from one side of the pitch to the other.
Not just that, he was an ever-present threat to the Spurs goal and his influence in the attacking third was illustrated by the fact that he was directly involved in five of Everton’s shots in the match, unleashing three strikes at goal and setting up teammates for a further two efforts.
While the standout individual displays of each of Everton’s new recruits was in itself hugely enjoyable to watch, it was in fact their wider influence on the team as a whole that proved to be perhaps the most impressive aspect of the Blues victory.
The below average positions map highlights how their inclusion in the team led to Everton being a much more balanced side, specifically when compared to the last meeting between Everton and Tottenham in July. We can clearly see the 4-3-3 formation deployed by Ancelotti in Sunday's game, whereas from the fixture back in July, the 4-4-2 layout is noticeably lopsided and disjointed.
The above graphic coincidences with what we witnessed in the match, with the Blues looking more structured both with and without the ball.
Another benefit of the above was that it allowed for better individual performances from players who seemed to struggle at various points of the last campaign. One of the more notable improvements in the match came from Andre Gomes who seemed to thrive by being unshackled of heavy defensive responsibility with both Allan and Doucoure better suited to that aspect of the game.
Across the course of his 70 minutes on the pitch, the Portuguese international posted a pass success rate of 93%, completed 5/5 of his long passes, 3/3 of his passes into the final third and successfully completed 4/3 of his attempted dribbles.
There were also improvements in other areas of the pitch with the likes of Seamus Coleman and Jordan Pickford replicating commanding and dominating performances that were not seen enough in the previous campaign.
It’s important not to get too carried away following Sunday’s impressive win, especially with a potential banana skin in the form of Salford City in the EFL cup looming on Wednesday, but it’s not unreasonable to conclude that the early evidence suggests Everton’s new recruits have the potential to have a transformational impact on the side this year.
If each player can stay fit and keep producing displays like they did on Sunday, then the sky is the limit as to what Everton can achieve in this up and coming campaign.
