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A team that currently sits in 16th isn’t the usual pick for tactical praise as they’re a hop skip and a jump away from relegation, yet there isn’t much usual about this season's Everton. The team struggled in the early days of the season after a 10-point deduction but as it goes on there’s something awakening in them that’s shaping up to make them a real threat. The current strategy Everton is running is an incredible adaptation of some of the best strategies in Europe and we’re finally seeing it take off.
Outside of recent games the club has had a rough season. Starting the season on a rough note means a 10-point penalty for violating financial fair play rules didn’t help the team who was already struggling. The club didn’t manage a win until their sixth match then proceeded to lose the next one. Everton was unable to consistently win until quite recently that being said not much was expected of the club who routinely sits in the lower half of the league table. A team who couldn’t seem to find a strong form even against weak opponents getting a points penalty should be the end but for Everton they’ve made it a new beginning.
Everton’s new style of play seems to take in multiple components to make it what it is. This mix match of strategies has created a very adaptable team that can adjust to their opponents weakness. If the club isn’t dominant in the first half expect an interesting second half. The foundation of their franken style is a true box midfield allowing either a rotating player list or a more set player list to push up with connected passing lanes. This base of overloaded midfield has been used many times and recently has become a favorite that’s actually quite easy to defend by just adding more people to the midfield to flip the advantage. Everton’s way around this differs from Man City who seem to just want all of their players in the midfield instead the club plays on their other strategy snippets to fill in the gaps.
One touch passing or tiki taka may be one of the greatest to watch but largely fell out of style, assuming it was ever largely in style, after the collapse of Barcelona but it remains a viable strategy in some parts. Quick one touch passes make it difficult for opposition players to regain possession and has been a handy tool for Everton to deal with balancing the midfield. When out manning them isn’t a viable option Everton have taken to a quicker one touch passing which has a dual purpose of maintaining possession and forcing opposition players to move around more which opens up nice little pockets for the team to advance attack. This one touch passing isn’t the dominant strategy but it fits in nicely as a unique way to update a strategy that has been around for a while now.
Everton flexes between looser rotating player positions and much stricter lines based on the situations. This is far from the most unique thing the team does as this is something popular in quite a few clubs. However the advantage the club gets is slightly different. Under the original and pure form of positional play the rotation and looser lines are heavily baked in which is why it takes so long to effectively adapt it especially without an academy baking this style into youngsters. Not only can it take years to perfect but the style also isn’t well suited for injury or player replacement. Looking at clubs who use the style, like Manchester City and Tottenham, they’re particularly vulnerable to forced substitutions either from injury, suspension, or transfers after changes to their usual starting 11 they tend to take losses. Everton is able to skate both the long time frame and sensitive nature of it with their adaptations.
Having players maintain hard lines as a default allows the team to avoid situations where a small mistake in rotation can lead to big opposition attacks. Being able to transfer those hard lines into more fluid positions gives the benefit of overloading the midfield and constant passing lanes while also having a default that keeps them out of real trouble. Being flexible in these areas of position especially in an era where the holes in looser styles have been exploited and stricter styles halt predictable attack is make or break. Everton’s formation lends itself nicely to a combination of these making them even more lethal.
The 4-4-1-1 is a formation that doesn’t show up a lot in the Premier League but it’s one that’s done very well for the club. The formation allows Everton to keep a tight and crucial backline while giving more roaming freedom to the higher line players. This was on full highlight in the game against Newcastle where the teams lower possession and forced defensive position didn’t hold back from the later attacks mostly thanks to the looser front two players who were later supported by teammates. The team shares this unique formation with Aston Villa who use it in a similar fashion with slightly more success as this season they’ve challenged for the title potentially giving us some insight into the potential future of Everton. The team seems to have found a rhythm other teams are still struggling with and it’s allowed them to navigate around strong and weak defenses alike.
Everton has found success in these direct moves but there’s also some below the water examples of where the club has been stepping up. They’ve shown a really strong ability to anticipate and adapt in the moment to opposition moves deciding whether to push up or allow more of a long play defensive style. This anticipation is pretty immediate and gives them a huge leg up being able to anticipate and change as moves happen is a skill and a huge advantage for the team.
The endurance seen from the Everton side is also something that’s enhanced their play. In multiple matches it’s come down to the later part of the second half, it’s easy for teams to get sloppier towards the very end and Everton’s endurance combined with a strategy that easily makes small holes big attacks has given the squad some major wins. Endurance isn’t and shouldn’t be unique among professionals but the team's endurance goes beyond just physicality it goes into maintaining the core aspects of their strategy which only gets better as the clock ticks on.
Losses and point penalties are hard to deal with in one of the worlds most competitive leagues but Everton maintaining strong tactical play makes them a major one to watch. The club's ability to blend together styles has created something truly unique and something we’ll see continue to dominate this season and into the future. A club in 16th place hopefully won’t be there for long as they have the skills and the strategy to make some unusual waves in the table.
