The Premier League campaign is back and Everton are ready to go for the 2024/25 season. There is some change, but the goal remains the same. Last season, the Toffees finished 15th in the table and look to improve on that, though their form all campaign long suggested they would’ve finished 12th had it not been for having points deducted twice. Regardless, manager Sean Dyche looks to build upon the form from last season and hope for better results.
Players Coming In
Illiman Ndiaye
Jesper Lindstrom
Jake O’Brien
Tim Iroegbunam
Players Transferring Out
Ben Godfrey
Amadou Onana
Lewis Dobbin
Dyche employs a 4-4-2 which while might be a bit old school, the grit the side showed last season does create chances to score. While it might affect Abdoulaye Doucoure’s defensive abilities, it helps open up the field more making it harder to defend. Expect to see his tactics have solid results in set-pieces and be combative in the midfield. Ndiaye and Lindstrom should help make things more efficient up front, that being said, Dyche’s tactics do get aggressive in the attack and with having more versatility, Everton might score more goals this season. Just expect a lot of resilience throughout the campaign.
What might help is the backline as O’Brien, Jarrad Branthwaite, and James Tarkowski as each of the players are at least 6’5” thus meaning they’ll win a lot of headers. Pair that up with Vitaliy Mykolenko, who had a breakout year in 2023/24, plus having depth in Nathan Patterson, longtime veteran Ashley Young, and club legend Seamus Coleman, plus having youngsters in Reece Welch and Elijah Campbell, there’s a lot to like about this backline. Branthwaite is the star here as he was heavily coveted by Manchester United, but he is a future star despite his snub from the England side during the Euros. Pair him up with another possible star in O’Brien and it looks to be an exciting future for the pair as well with the chemistry he had with Tarkowski.
The midfield also improved despite losing Onana as versatility will be key here. Doucoure will have an interesting group of players in support like Lindstrom and Ndiaye, but he also has the talented James Garner and defensive minded veteran Idrissa Gueye. With the talented Iroegbunam in there too, expect Dyche to capitalize there however, look for more depth to come in during the transfer window.
The forwards look to pack a punch as this group has depth too. While there are still questions about Dominic Calvert-Lewin, he has shown his abilities now healthy especially having one of the best headers in the league. Beto looks to be an impactful sub in as a central forward, but also look for the young and talented Youssef Chermiti to get a lot more playing time this season. Jack Harrison and Dwight McNeil will be out on the wings, but Harrison can play up front and/or back in the midfield thus expanding the field more. Either way, there are options there even with Dobbin leaving.
Finally, Jordan Pickford is the crown and jewel of the club as he is the finest English goalkeeper and one of the best in the league. Pickford is possibly the biggest reason for Everton staying up last season, but he’s a world class keeper. Expect Joao Virginia to start in Cup games.
Interesting Statistics From 2023/24
Despite scoring only 40 goals, Dyche’s system created so many chances as there was a rate of 54.9 xG meaning the team had a lot of bad luck.
Dyche’s defense produced 9.6 high turnovers per game.
Dyche’s attack produced 533 open play crosses, 14 per game. They also were top of the league with 2,388 long passes, 62.8 per match.
These statistics, plus more interesting ones especially about particular players are from Opta Analyst (https://theanalyst.com/2024/08/everton-2024-25-preview-five-key-questions-ahead-of-the-season)
Prediction
12th
The xG statistic was one that caught the eye as it showed that the club had a lot of bad luck. If things go more their way and even with the numbers going up, this club could finish higher. While unlikely to crack a spot in Champions League, the Toffees could finish as high as eighth if things go their way.
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