David Moyes has worked wonders back at Everton
David Moyes has worked wonders back at Everton
Guiding Everton to safety with seemingly serene ease is just the latest in David Moyes’ long list of successes. But there’s one more thing the Everton boss can tick off his to-do list when he visits Anfield for Wednesday’s Merseyside derby.
Moyes has never won at Anfield in 21 attempts with Everton, Manchester United, Sunderland and West Ham, racking up seven draws and 14 losses.
He’s in good company and Sir Bobby Robson never won there in his 23 visits. Moyes and Everton are in great form heading into the 246th derby and he has turbo-charged their survival bid since succeeding Sean Dyche in January. He has masterminded a nine-game unbeaten run, Everton’s best since February 2017 under Ronald Koeman. He has lifted Everton 17 points clear of the drop zone after being just a point above the bottom three when he took over.
He has masterminded a nine-game unbeaten run, Everton’s best since February 2017 under Ronald Koeman. He has lifted Everton 17 points clear of the drop zone after being just a point above the bottom three when he took over.
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Moyes has got Everton scoring again and they have netted 17 times in his 10 league games, compared to just 15 in 19 matches under Dyche. He has underlined his standing as Everton’s best manager since the first incarnation of Howard Kendall over 40 years ago.
His first 11-year spell has successful and he led Everton to fourth place in 2005, which remains their highest finish since 1988, as well as qualifying for Europe four times. Moyes has sprinkled magic dust all over his squad and Beto looks transformed, having scored five in his last seven league appearances, when he had mustered just four in his first 44 league games.
He gave Jake O’Brien his chance and the Republic of Ireland centre-half has excelled, even weighing in with two goals in his last three Everton appearances. Moyes has shown he is prepared to be more daring than Dyche and the former Everton boss preferred the 39-year-old Ashley Young at right-back because he was tried and tested in the Premier League.
Yet O’Brien had starred for Lyon last season in Ligue 1 and even scored in the Coupe de France Final against Paris St Germain. He was clearly good enough, but Dyche hesitated because he had not done it in the Premier League.
Jake O'Brien is enjoying his football again under David Moyes
Jake O'Brien is enjoying his football again under David Moyes
Moyes had no such concerns and at 6ft 6ins, O’Brien has made the Blues backline even more imposing and a bigger threat from set-pieces. And Moyes has done all this against the backdrop of a crippling injury list.
Dwight McNeil was Everton’s best player with four goals and three assists before he injured his knee against Wolves in mid-December. Iliman Ndiaye has been out since the last Merseyside derby at Goodison with a knee injury and he is Everton’s joint-top scorer with eight.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Everton’s main striker, has been sidelined since the end of January with a hamstring injury. Yet Everton keep scoring and keep winning under Moyes.
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