It’s been almost eight months since David Moyes’ first game back at Everton, as Aston Villa were the opponents.
Now, the Toffees face Villa after the international break, and it’s safe to say a lot has changed around the club.
Moyes has brought the feel-good factor back, which looked like a very difficult challenge when he arrived after Sean Dyche.
But he’s done so, and has brought the philosophy of his first tenure on Merseyside with him.
Moyes has his demands behind the scenes at Everton, and after his first game, he made the first demand very clear.
David Moyes prior to Everton vs Aston Villa.
Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
David Moyes said Everton didn’t have the ‘level of player’ to make a difference after January’s Aston Villa defeat
The Scotsman might not have realised the task he had stepped into when he was asked to rejoin in the winter of 2025.
Alan Shearer said Moyes wanted signings guaranteed, and that was the hope he had to hold onto, as it wasn’t a great start vs Villa in January.
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After the game, it was clear the Everton boss wasn’t pleased with the performance, and there were plenty of areas to be concerned about.
“It is a huge challenge at the moment, I can see that,” Moyes said in a post-match interview.
“Sean (Dyche) has brought in a great group of players with their attitude and commitment, but we are desperately needing to add some quality in some areas, mainly to create and to finish – we need to get those levels up.
“The club has probably not been able to go to a level of player in the market that can make the difference.”
It’s clear the Scotsman was pointing the finger at the squad, with Moyes hinting at Farhad Moshiri’s failures.
But eight months later, the tides are changing, as the Friedkin Group have looked a level above Moshiri after achieving Moyes’ wishes.
Everton now have Jack Grealish to rely upon ahead of Aston Villa
It was a concerning period after Dyche left the Toffees in a difficult position, but there was going to be no better man for the job than Moyes.
After the Villa loss, things got put to work almost instantly, with performances taking a turn, and Everton thriving in the second half of the season.
Under Sean Dyche Points: 17
Under David Moyes Points: 31
How Everton’s two halves of the 24/25 Premier League season compare
Now, the start to this campaign has been very promising, and after Moyes searched for a player to make a ‘difference’, he’s finally found it through Jack Grealish.
So far, Grealish has been one of the Premier League’s ‘best’ and it seems like many of the concerns from January have ceased to exist, with the Toffees looking in a refreshing position.
It’s still early days, but it can’t be denied that when Everton last played Villa at home, there has been a complete rejuvenation under Moyes since.
Going into the fixture, it’s actually the Toffees who have the upper hand, and with Grealish hoping to be the difference maker against his former club, it really shows how far the Blues have come.