Marco Silva will turn Everton into a more athletic, attacking force this season.
Whenever you watch teams coached by the 41-year-old, it is clear how much emphasis he places on tempo, pace and energy.
For example, after his first two months in charge of Watford last season, Silva had extracted an additional 4km per 90 minutes from his players in distance covered compared to 2016/17.
Pushed hard from the sidelines, the Hornets also made an extra 12 per cent of sprints.
Silva will have recognized the need to add fresh legs to his squad and the arrival of Richarlison, a young forward known for power and pace, was a sign of intent.
Everton covered 110.6km in the Premier League last season, which ranked them 14th in the division. Under a new head coach who demands intensity, this is certain to change.
When he was at Vicarage Road, Watford ran an average of 112.9km per match.
Proactive attitude
With Sam Allardyce in charge, the Toffees often chose to sit back and soak up pressure.
Too passive and lacking in creativity for many Evertonians, the Blues spent far longer periods inside their own half without the ball than they had under Ronald Koeman.
Silva will urge his players to be far more proactive during the upcoming campaign.
Everton passive last season
| Everton 2017/18 | Rank | Everton 2016/17 | Rank | Watford 2017/18 | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time in defensive third | 31% | 2 | 29% | 9 | 26% | 17 |
| Ave. possession | 47% | 12 | 52% | 7 | 49% | 8 |
| Chances created | 265 | 18 | 394 | 8 | 322 | 11 |
*Rotate to view the full table on mobile devices
Explosive strategy
During his spells at Hull City and Watford, the Portuguese instilled counter-pressing strategies.
In the central part of the pitch his sides are renowned for working hard to create turnovers before exploding into life on fast transitions.
Over the course of the full 2017/18 campaign, Watford were ranked fourth for the number of times they won possession in the middle third of the pitch.
They racked up a total of 1,003 compared to Everton's 866, which ranked the Merseysiders 14th once again.
Richarlison boost
This tactic is one reason why Richarlison shone so brightly under Silva at Vicarage Road and this ploy should also suit winger Theo Walcott.
Both players love to run at speed on breakaways.
Idrissa Gueye is another vital component in the Toffees' midfield. The Senegal international was the most prolific winner of tackles in the PL last season with 93.
He will be asked to keep doing what he does and help to set up counter-attacks.
Flexible formations
If high-octane breakaway football is Silva's stock approach, he is not married to one system.
At Hull he flitted between adopting a back three and a back four, changing the shape eight times in only 18 matches.
At Watford he was less experimental, preferring a 4-2-3-1 of five variant formations that were adopted.
As Gylfi Sigurdsson is expected to be a key creative figure for Silva, this is the shape most likely to be deployed in the early weeks.
Indeed during pre-season, Everton have flitted between a 4-2-3-1 and a 4-3-3 shape.
Formations used by Silva in PL
| Formation | Times used |
|---|---|
| 4-2-3-1 | 15 |
| 4-4-2-1 | 7 |
| 4-3-3 | 5 |
| 4-1-4-1 | 4 |
| 4-4-1-1 | 3 |
Bold approach
Question marks remain over Silva's ability to maintain success over prolonged periods. He is a coach who indisputably sets out to be enterprising and bold.
His Watford side scored 33 goals in his 24 matches in charge, compared to 27 netted in exactly the same period by Everton under Allardyce.
With the Portuguese in charge the Blues can be expected to be a more attack-minded proposition.
Also in this series
Part 2: Pellegrini will bring back flair to West Ham
Part 3: Hudson-Odoi can thrive under Sarri's new style
Part 4: Emery faces dilemma in quest to tighten up Arsenal
