David Moyes needs to solve problem present again vs Tottenham, the numbers reveal
David Moyes will be disappointed in Everton's performance against Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday.
Tottenham became the first team to defeat Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on 26 October.
While spectators pointed out several dubious calls against Everton when facing Spurs, the Lilywhites still put three past Jordan Pickford's net.
It is easy to blame controversial refereeing for defeat, but the Toffees' issue is bigger than a few dodgy decisions.
Everton are underperforming their xG by three goals
After conceding three goals against a Tottenham side that struggles to create, Everton fans will understandably be looking at their defence for answers.
Vitalii Mykolenko's continuation at Everton has been questioned after his abysmal performance, winning just 29 per cent of his ground duels according to Sofascore.
By all means, it was a poor defensive performance:
- Everton made 47 recoveries to Spurs' 50
- The Toffees made 25 clearances to Tottenham's 53
- Everton committed one error which led to a shot
Not to mention that Everton prevented only 0.21 of their 2.08 expected goals.
However, the Toffees' biggest issue this season is their attack. Moyes' side have amassed 12.4 in expected goals in the Premier League this season, but have netted nine goals in nine matches, which is a goal per game.
Indeed, finishing has been a huge issue for this Everton side, which in turn has increased pressure on the defence and made it difficult to produce convincing results.
Everton underperformed their xG again against Tottenham?
Everton created two big chances from 1.53 expected goals and failed to convert both of them.
The Toffees also took more shots than their opponents, but struggled to walk away with a result.
While Guglielmo Vicario was excellent for the Lillywhites, preventing 0.96 goals, Everton's attack was simply not good enough.
- Beto missed a chance worth 0.56 expected goals and was offside once
- Jack Grealish missed one big chance
- Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall missed two chances worth 0.21 expected goals
Iliman Ndiaye has been one of Everton's best players, and it was the same story on Sunday, but he, too, failed to convert both of his shots against Tottenham.
The verdict?
Simply put, Everton needs to be more clinical in front of goal.
The Toffees have wasted too many quality chances this season, and as fans saw against Spurs, their missed opportunities have already come back to bite them.
As a result, whether in training or on the touchline, Moyes will need to demand more composure from his players moving forward.
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