Five reasons Everton are ‘back’ and in the fight for a Champions League place | OneFootball

Everton’s incredible turnaround under David Moyes has been one of the stories of the season, and with the Toffees in the fight for European football, we’ve outlined five reasons why they’ve made such dramatic progress.

It has been a hugely difficult few years for Toffees supporters. They narrowly escaped relegation in 2021/22 and 2022/23, and had to fight back following a points deduction in the 2023/24 campaign to avoid the drop again.

If Everton had been relegated, for the first time since 1950/51, the financial ramifications would have been disastrous. You only need to look at Leicester City’s situation to understand what could have happened.

But now, with the club having moved into a spectacular new stadium, under new owners The Friedkin Group, the tide could finally be turning.

Everton sit eighth in the Premier League table as things stand, which will be enough for a Europa Conference League place if Chelsea or Manchester City win the FA Cup.

But they are also only four points behind fifth-place rivals Liverpool, who they face at home on Sunday, so they’re not out of the fight for Champions League football, either.

David Moyes

Moyes led Everton to European qualification on four occasions during his first stint at the club, and he is undoubtedly one of the main reasons why they could do the same again.

He took over again in January last year, when Everton looked set for yet another battle with the drop. But he quickly steadied the ship, and the club were easily safe in the end, finishing in 13th place – their best finish since the 2020/21 season under Carlo Ancelotti.

One of his first tasks after taking over was to improve Everton’s away form, which had been a huge problem under Dyche and other previous managers.

Everton now have the joint-third best away record in the division for this season. Beating Manchester United at Old Trafford for the first time since 2013 along with away victories against Aston Villa and Newcastle are some of the standout moments.

Moyes’ message to his players throughout this campaign has been that European football should be the target, and that change in attitude has no doubt given the team the confidence to go and get big results.

The strong defensive foundations built by Dyche have remained – something we will touch on later – but Everton now look much more dangerous in attack in Moyes’ 4-2-3-1 system, thanks to some key players…

The key trio for the Toffees

It would be hard to find a player in Everton’s squad who hasn’t improved under Moyes, but Iliman Ndiaye, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and James Garner have arguably been the standouts this term.

Ndiaye joined Everton from Marseille for around £17million in the summer of 2024. He looked brilliant at times last season, but his performances in this campaign have seen him establish himself as one of the best wingers in the Premier League.

The Senegalese international, who is effective on the left and right flanks, is mesmerising on the ball. He’s able to beat players with his skill, close control and pace, and uses that to create goalscoring chances for himself and his teammates.

Ndiaye has notched six goals and three assists in 26 Premier League appearances this term, and if he can build on that in Everton’s remaining games, he will be key in the club achieving their ambitious aims.

But Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who arrived from Chelsea in a £25million deal last summer, has arguably been just as impactful as Ndiaye. The 27-year-old is Everton’s leading goal contributor in the Premier League, having found the net seven times and providing seven assists.

His quality on the ball and tireless energy has taken Everton up another level; they are much more dangerous when he is on the pitch and in form.

Perhaps the biggest improver for Everton this season, though, is James Garner, who is now regarded as one of the league’s very best midfielders. He even makes our Premier League XI of the season so far.

Garner, who has also featured as a right-back and left-back, ranks joint-fifth for the most assists of any player in the division, with six so far, and has also scored two goals.

He contributes in defence, too, having made the second-most tackles in the league (95) and second-most interceptions (52).

He deservedly got his first England cap last month, and could be part of the Three Lions’ squad for the World Cup.

Strong defensive foundations

The key to any successful team is a strong defence, and Everton certainly have that. Dyche deserves credit for laying the foundations.

The Toffees have conceded the joint-fifth fewest goals of any team in the Premier League – just 37 goals in 32 games.

Vice-captain James Tarkowski has been crucial to that, having played in all but one of Everton’s league fixtures. Again, see that XI of the season.

But Michael Keane also deserves great credit, having been a consistently good performer when filling in for Jarrad Branthwaite, who has struggled with injury problems.

Jake O’Brien, naturally a centre-back, has filled in well at right-back with some sturdy defensive displays, while Mykolenko has been solid enough at left-back.

With Branthwaite now back in the starting XI, Everton are even stronger, and have become one of the hardest teams to beat in the Premier League – especially away from home, where they are comfortable in a low block.

Jordan Pickford’s dynamite

It goes without saying that Jordan Pickford is one of Everton’s most important players, and he has earned his team crucial points this season with some spectacular saves.

He has been awarded the Premier League Save of the Month Award twice in November and February, for stops in big wins against Man Utd and Newcastle respectively.

Despite Everton’s past struggles, Pickford has always ranked high on clean sheet stats, and so far this term he has kept the third most, with 11 in 32 appearances.

England’s undisputed No. 1 will need to be on his best form if Everton are to break into the top five, but supporters will tell you that he has been one of the world’s very best goalkeepers in recent years, and the club’s finest since Neville Southall.

Pickford signed a new long-term contract with Everton in November last year, which runs until 2029, so he will remain the main man between the sticks for the foreseeable future.

Beto is back in form – at the right time

Perhaps the thing that has stopped Everton from having an even better season is their lack of a clinical striker, but fan favourite Beto deserves a lot of credit for his excellent form.

Last season, the 28-year-old had a spell of scoring big goals shortly after Moyes’ re-appointment as manager, notching in four games in a row against Leicester City, Liverpool, Crystal Palace and Man Utd.

Beto is now on a similar run again, having scored four in his last five league games – one in a win against Newcastle, a brace and an assist in a victory over Chelsea, and one in Everton’s draw to Brentford on Sunday.

If Beto can continue scoring until the season’s end, he could be crucial in helping Everton secure European football. Then he can be replaced. But that’s a story for a different day…