View: Pressing stat shows Allan is pivotal to Everton midfield and must return v Leicester
The importance of Allan to this Everton side is obvious but an intriguing statistic shines further light on just how vital the Brazilian is to setting the tempo.
TheOther14 is a Twitter account that highlights the work of Premier League teams outside the ‘big six’ of Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.
This is done to offer some perspective on how teams with smaller budgets and less resources operate and so are not compared to teams with some of Europe’s elite players.
This ‘traditional big six’ is something Everton are planning on smashing to smithereens and they made a number of big summer signings that evidenced their intention to spoil the party, and none have been more integral than the transfer of Allan from Napoli.
He has just turned 30 years of age but there has been no signs of slowing down from him all season.
According to TheOther14 Allan is second in the Premier League for pressures applied per 90 (27) behind only Sheffield United’s Oliver Burke (27.50) and the former has played nearly 300 more minutes for a side that are more dominant than the Blades.
Only three more players on the list have applies more pressures than Allan’s 309 despite him coming off in the first half of the 2-0 win at Leicester City on December 16 and subsequently missing the next four Premier League fixtures.
The Blues have coped admirably in his absence, picking up nine points from a possible 12 with only a 1-0 loss to West Ham as a stain on their record.
Much of this can be attributed to the fantastic tactical nous of Carlo Ancelotti who has performed wonders to adjust his team shape and ask players to fill in different positions.
Clearly though, Ancelotti and Blues fans will be desperate for the return of the tireless Allan who sets such
Per Wyscout he also ranks second in the league for defensive duels per 90 (11.48) behind only Spurs defender Serge Aurier (11.55).
Furthermore, only Southampton’s Oriol Romeu makes more tackles (3.5) per game than Allan [WhoScored].
Tom Davies has been the biggest beneficiary of Allan’s absence as he has started all of the Premier League matches but he does not have the same defensive instincts nor does he charge about the pitch with the same tenacity and authority.
Interestingly the only other Everton player on the top 20 list by TheOther14 was Abdoulaye Doucoure who was also brought in as a big summer signing to help drive the midfield.
Doucoure will be missing in the next league fixture against Leicester on January 27 after picking up a fifth yellow card of the season at Wolves, enough to warrant a one-game suspension.
Being without both Doucoure and Allan, something the Blues have not had to do in the Premier League this season would be a big blow against the in-form Foxes who can call on the likes of James Maddison and Wilfred Ndidi in their midfield.
There have not been too many updates on the situation but at the end of December, Ancelotti was hopeful that Allan would be available for the end of January [Liverpool Echo] which would tie in with the Leicester game.
He might not be completely match-fit having missed over a month of football but if Everton line up without him it will be at their peril with a midfield of Davies and Andre Gomes looking like a mismatch on paper.
Allan’s inclusion will be vital to controlling the Foxes midfield and do not bet against him returning and keeping them all at bay as he shows his pressing abilities and terrific tackling.
In other Everton news, our view on who is set to lead the line in the FA Cup against Sheffield Wednesday.