Select Overall Final Numbers – Best/Worst
Here is a final look at some of the leading contributors for Everton this season, mixed in with a few that will be looking for improvement next year.
Best Passing % (+100 passes) – Rodwell 87%, Gibson 84%, Pienaar/Osman/Coleman 83%.
Worst Passing % (+100 passes) – Anichebe 62%, Jelavic 69%, Distin 72%.
Best Crossing % (+30 crosses) – Bilyaletdinov 30%, Coleman 30%, Donovan 29%.
Worst Crossing % (+30 crosses) – Hibbert 20%, Pienaar 23%, Osman 24%.
Best Tackle % (+20 tackles) – Drenthe 88%, Fellaini 85%, Cahill 84%.
Worst Tackle % (+20 tackles) – Osman 69%, Pienaar 70%, Jagielka 71%.
Defensively is where Everton shone most this season. They were one of the most uncompromising units to face, shipped the third fewest goals, were the league’s best tacklers and only a handful of sides allowed their opposition fewer chances. Aptly, the main contenders for Player of the Season were all defensively-minded, with statistical marvels Baines and Fellaini narrowly missing out to the consistent excellence of Distin and Heitinga.
Yet as gritty as the defensive side was, the other half of Everton’s game fluctuated, thankfully ending on a high. Everton’s passing rose from 76% to 77%, but that was still only the joint 10th best percentage in the league, something Moyes will feel can be improved on. Elsewhere, the loss of Mikel Arteta and half a season without Steven Pienaar certainly had its repercussions. The Toffees carved out 41 fewer chances than last season (420 to 379) and until the turn of the year seemed far too predictable going forward, looking for Baines to cross at every opportunity – possibly a reason for the team’s crossing accuracy dropping from 26% to 24%, as teams were prepared for this.
One alarming facet of Everton’s game was their lack of penetrating through-balls. Steven Pienaar’s return drastically improved this, for before his arrival, there had been times when only Stoke City had achieved fewer through-balls than Everton. With Pienaar on board orchestrating things, the Toffees’ rose to eighth worst, yet a sobering fact is that Alex Song (with 24) still made more successful through-balls than the entire Everton squad put together (21). This is certainly an area that must be addressed this off-season.
What resurrected this faltering campaign more than anything else, and turned the season into a success, was undoubtedly an unusually fruitful January transfer window. Moyes’ purchases were inspired, with Pienaar, Gibson, Jelavic and Landon Donovan all making a huge impact. The composure, fluidity and scoring ability this foursome installed invigorated the dressing room, excited the fans and established some much needed momentum.
After finishing so well, the challenge is now to maintain that drive until next season. Moyes will have his hands full trying to keep the likes of Leighton Baines and Marouane Fellaini away from any interested admirers, whilst once again trying locate some cut-price talent to strengthen his squad. If he can successfully juggle that, if his squad is not too disrupted, and if the Toffees can for once start a season with just an ounce of momentum, it could end up being an exciting 12 months at Goodison Park.
