Get all your news in one place.

100’s of premium titles.
One app.

Start reading

Get all your news in one place.

100’s of premium titles. One news app.

Start reading

Liverpool Echo

Sport

Chris Beesley

Everton can target West Ham weak link David Moyes will fear to secure first win

Everton David Moyes West Ham Frank Lampard West Ham United EPL Amadou Onana Goodison Park

With Frank Lampard being a former West Ham United player who left the club in somewhat acrimonious circumstances and David Moyes once a long-serving Everton manager, this Sunday’s clash at Goodison Park possesses an extra bit of spice but the Blues might be able to take advantage from an unexpected weak link in the visitors’ armoury. Despite Moyes having guided the Hammers to impressive Premier League finishes of sixth and seventh over the previous two campaigns, they, like Everton, go into this weekend’s fixture with just four points from their first six matches of the current season and in the relegation zone on goal difference.

Although the Scot endured his fair share of slow starts during his 11-year tenure in charge of the Blues – they’d lost 12 of their initial 19 matches in the first half of 2005/06 – he’d more often than not turn things around in the end and despite coming to a club that had finished in the top half just once over the previous decade, steered Everton to nine top 10 placings, including their highest ever Premier League position of fourth in 2004/05. While Moyes carried out those achievements while often having to work on a tight budget – he famously compared having to compete with the finances of petrodollar-fuelled Manchester City was akin to “Taking a knife to a gunfight” – his teams were always expected to possess certain qualities.

Speaking to the ECHO in an exclusive interview in March this year to mark the 20^th anniversary of his appointment as Everton manager, Moyes said: “I was keen to get a new, young, hungry group of players to join to add to what we already had and that was the philosophy of how I wanted to do it. I wanted them to know what Everton stood for in terms of their work ethic and what the supporters demanded.”

Whether it was Duncan Ferguson in an aerial battle; Alan Stubbs or later Phil Jagielka putting his body on the line for the cause; the never-say-die spirit of the Blues’ very own boxing kangaroo Tim Cahill; Phil Neville’s full-blooded lunge on former Manchester United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo in front of the Bullens Road or Merseyside Derby hero Lee Carsley quipping: “When I put that Everton shirt on, I’d hear Z-Cars and I want to kill, I’d want to f****** take someone out,” opponents always knew that regardless of form, they’d be tested physically against one of Moyes’ teams. Memories of such an expectation will cause concern to the 59-year-old then when it comes to how his current side have been performing.

When examining on Comparisonator how Everton and West Ham have been operating so far this season, there is a mixed bag between their respective offensive, defensive and passing parameters. The Blues are getting in more shots (10.33 to 9.67 per 90 minutes); shots on target (4.83 to 3) and successful attacking actions (19.5 to 14) but the Hammers still edge them out for expected goals (1.29 to 1.26).

Defensively, Everton are making more ball recoveries (48 to 41.83); interceptions (62.5 to 48) and successful defensive actions (125.5 to 94.17) but West Ham have looked after possession better with fewer ball losses (59.67 to 67.7) and expected shots against (1.33 to 2.03). The East London side fare better for successful passes (321 to 309.67); successful passes to the final third (85.17 to 75.33) and successful crosses (3.33 to 2) but Lampard’s men are making more successful key passes (2.5 to 2.17) and successful long passes (25.83 to 21.83).

The area in which Everton are ahead in all six departments though is individual battles and Moyes, who understandably had a swagger in his step for the post-match press conference at Goodison Park last season after his side had defeated Rafael Benitez’s team 1-0, will no doubt be concerned that his players are up for the fight. While the Blues aren’t necessarily outstanding in any of these categories – their best is aerial duels won where they sit third in the Premier League so far this season behind Liverpool and Fulham with Amadou Onana, the club’s biggest signing of the summer snapped up under the noses of the Hammers bolstering their numbers following his colossal display in the Merseyside Derby – they are at least in the top half of the division when it comes to all duelling sections.

Everton have won more defensive duels (43.5 to 34.67); more offensive duels (30.93 to 27) and aerial duels (20.17 to 15.83) than West Ham with their opponents ranked a lowly 19^th, 17^th and 17^th respectively in each of the sectors. Lampard can pinpoint that as one area for his players to focus upon as he aims to win his own personal battle against one of his predecessors and deliver what would be a crucial first three points of the campaign ahead of the forthcoming international break.

Comparisonator is a football data comparison tool from 271 professional leagues around the world which compares players and clubs by utilising over 100 different parameters. Click here for more details.

READ NEXT: