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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…
Everton’s win over Sheffield Wednesday was their fourth of the season, but it could be the most important yet.
That’s because it not only lifts a little weight off the shoulders of Marco Silva, but because the match also provided the Portuguese manager the chance to rotate his squad, and the performance of Tom Davies stood out.
It was only his second match of 2019/20 after playing just 11 minutes against Crystal Palace but he showed little sign of rustiness as he helped control the game alongside Fabian Delph in midfield.
Delph acted as the experienced figurehead and that suited Davies well, giving him the confidence to play his natural game, and he thus proved capable in attack and defence.
With Jean-Philippe Gbamin out of action for the foreseeable future and the return date of Andre Gomes still unknown, there is a chance the 21-year-old will start to feature on a regular basis, particularly as Morgan Schneiderlin hasn’t pulled up any trees.
The England U21 international made a great case to start at the weekend through his performance, and his energy showed that Everton have lacked intensity in their play this season.
That was epitomised by his industriousness on and off the ball, matched only by his midfield partner.
According to SofaScore, the pair managed a combined 147 touches between them, showing how vital they were to the Toffees dominating play with 62% possession.
That helped them maintain their early lead, as did Davies’ combative display. Winning six out of seven ground duels shows the desire he has to impress his manager, and that drive in his play may be what Everton need to turn the corner.
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Crucially, there is quality to match his work rate.
Alex Iwobi and Bernard were the only Everton players to make more than his two tackles, but he provided a great defensive cover to his defence by preventing the opposition from taking the ball past him.
It was little surprise, therefore, that Silva’s side kept what was only their third clean sheet of the campaign, and against a Manchester City side scoring goals for fun he may be in with a chance of starting.
He used the ball carefully and kept his team fluid in possession, and given that was his first start for the club this season there could be more to come.