2018 has been a mixed year for Everton. Fans became frustrated with Sam Allardyce’s football and wanted change. He got sacked and in the summer, Marco Silva joined, who, since his appointment, has been praised by the majority of fans. But how do the two compare in 2018? Sam Allardyce joined Everton near the end of 2017 with the task to ease the club’s relegation fears and he did it before the year was out. The great start had deteriorated so this is an insight on Allardyce’s time at the club once the threat of relegation was over and how Silva fared compared to him.
All decimalised stats indicate “per game” (Allardyce = 17 games, Silva = 20 games).
I hope a lot these stats will intrigue you.
Overview
| Allardyce | Silva | |
| Points | 1.29 | 1.35 |
| Wins | 6 | 7 |
| Draws | 4 | 6 |
| Losses | 7 | 7 |
| Goals Scored | 1.12 | 1.55 |
| Goals Conceded | 1.53 | 1.50 |
| Scored Opening Goal | 8 | 11 |
| Conceded Opening Goal | 8 | 8 |
| Points Won From Losing Positions | 2/27 | 3/30 |
| Points Lost From Winning Positions | 5/24 | 11/36 |
Attacking
| Allardyce | Silva | |
| Shots | 9.8 | 13.0 |
| Shots On Target | 3.2 | 4.4 |
| 10+ Shots In A Game | 8 | 16 |
| 5+ Shots On Target In A Game | 4 | 9 |
| Outshot Opponents | 2 | 11 |
| Big Chances | 1.88 | 2.00 |
| Goals Scored From Big Chances | 0.59 | 0.85 |
| Goals Scored From Big Chances % | 31.3% | 42.5% |
| Chances Created | 6.9 | 9.5 |
| Attempted Dribbles | 16.2 | 14.9 |
| Successful Dribbles | 8.9 | 8.9 |
| Successful Dribbles % | 54.7% | 59.7% |
| Offsides | 2.4 | 2.2 |
| Fouls Suffered | 10.4 | 12.2 |
Opposition
| Allardyce | Silva | |
| Shots Faced | 13.9 | 11.2 |
| Shots On Target Faced | 4.8 | 4.1 |
| 10+ Shots Faced In A Game | 13 | 11 |
| 5+ Shots On Target Faced In A Game | 8 | 7 |
| Opponents Outshot EFC | 13 | 8 |
| Big Chances Faced | 1.71 | 2.35 |
| Goals Conceded From Big Chances | 1.00 | 1.10 |
| Big Chances Pickford Saved | 0.29 | 0.55 |
| Goals Conceded From Big Chances % | 58.6% | 46.8% |
| Chances Created By Opposition | 10.4 | 8.1 |
| Opponents Caught Offside | 1.5 | 2.4 |
Possession
| Allardyce | Silva | |
| Touches | 585.7 | 634.8 |
| Unsuccessful Touches | 17.4 | 17.8 |
| Dispossessed | 10.5 | 12.6 |
| Unsuccessful Touches Every X Touches | 33.6 | 35.7 |
| Dispossessed Every X Touches | 55.9 | 50.4 |
| Loss of Possession Every X Touches | 21.0 | 20.9 |
| Recoveries | 55.6 | 54.6 |
Passing
| Allardyce | Silva | |
| Total Passes | 385.1 | 427.4 |
| Successful Passes | 283.9 | 333.6 |
| Forward Passes | 214.0 | 238.7 |
| Successful Forward Passes | 133.8 | 165.9 |
| Attacking Third Passes | 129.7 | 127.1 |
| Successful Attacking Third Passes | 77.8 | 82.0 |
| Pass Accuracy % | 73.7% | 78.0% |
| Forward Pass Accuracy % | 62.5% | 69.5% |
| Attacking Third Pass Accuracy % | 60.0% | 64.5% |
| Forward Pass To Total Pass % | 55.6% | 55.8% |
| Attacking Third Pass To Total Pass % | 33.7% | 29.7% |
Defending
| Allardyce | Silva | |
| Interceptions | 11.9 | 11.4 |
| Attempted Tackles | 26.1 | 23.4 |
| Successful Tackles | 16.1 | 17.2 |
| Successful Tackles % | 61.7% | 73.3% |
| Clearances | 29.3 | 21.6 |
| Fouls Committed | 11.4 | 11.3 |
Actions In Opponents’ Half
| Allardyce | Silva | |
| Recoveries In Opponents’ Half | 13.1 | 15.6 |
| Recoveries In Opponents’ Half % | 23.6% | 28.6% |
| Interceptions In Opponents’ Half | 2.9 | 2.8 |
| Interceptions In Opponents’ Half % | 24.1% | 24.2% |
| Tackles In Opponents’ Half | 7.9 | 6.5 |
| Tackles In Opponents’ Half % | 30.2% | 27.8% |
| Successful Tackles In Opponents’ Half | 4.3 | 4.5 |
| Successful Tackles In Opponents’ Half % | 54.5% | 68.5% |
Judging by the bold count, Marco Silva has improved the team by quite a margin, especially regarding the attacking, opposition and passing stats and considering Silva’s Everton had played against 5 of the Top 6 away from home. However, it is implied that the club should have done better under Silva as Sam Allardyce and Silva’s points per game and goals conceded per game rates are very close. Conceding from set pieces has been a major issue for Everton under Silva, as well as not being clinical enough in front of goal and defensive capitulation. Seamus Coleman and Theo Walcott’s performances have also been criticised this season.
So 2019 could be a promising year for Everton providing that they continue becoming an attacking threat, they sign a striker who is clinical in front of goal in January (plus one or two signings) and be a more composed defence when they are on the brink of conceding a goal and after they concede a goal as well.