Who is David Moyes? How can his tactics transform Everton FC?

Earlier today, as Telegraph Football and other reliable sources have speculated, former Manchester United and West Ham United manager David Moyes is said to be the frontrunner to be the next Everton head coach. Following the news of the Merseyside club parting ways with Sean Dyche, there has been a lot of talk regarding the Scottish manager returning to management and to the Premier League.

That said, David Moyes will have a tall task on his hands to try and course-correct and push for a mid-table finish in the Premier League, with the Toffees currently sitting 16th in the table, only a point away from the relegation zone. With talks regarding the manager supposedly still underway, former players Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman have been tasked with managing the first team. 

Naturally, the entire situation regarding Dyche’s dismissal and Moyes’ impending appointment has been a little surprising, to say the least. Prior to their latest win against Peterborough in the FA Cup 3rd Round, the team was winless in their last 5 games, with 2 losses and 3 draws. That said, the draws came against the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City, and Chelsea, which had a lot of fans heaping praise on the manager. That said, it is likely that it wasn’t enough to sway the minds of the Everton hierarchy.

As for David Moyes, the 61-year-old has a fair bit of experience at Everton, having managed 11 years at the club, between 2002 and 2013. Thus, he will need to use that and his managerial prowess to help Everton save their season from being an absolute disaster. That said, it will be a truly uphill task considering that they still have a whole host of difficult fixtures to come in the Premier League.

In this article, we are going to focus exclusively on David Moyes who will be leading Everton as their new head coach, understanding his style of play and tactics, his successes as a manager, what he can bring to the Toffees, and what would be the possible formation or lineup they would adopt under his regime, should it come to fruition.

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David Moyes’ Style of Play and Tactics

By and large David Moyes has been known to implement a play style that focuses on long ball counters and resilient, compact defending structures. During his time at Manchester United and West Ham United, the focus was on getting the ball to their chief attacking and creative talents to be the difference-makers for their team whilst the rest would be more focused on maintaining the shape and a firm backline capable of absorbing waves of pressure.

A key factor in Moyes’ teams has been their physicality, allowing them to turn up the pressure on the opposition by imposing themselves onto their opponents, thus disrupting their pattern of play or cut-out transitions during the game. Notably, David Moyes has been known for his rugged tactics which have yielded some very positive results in the past, especially against the higher-level opposition. 

For the most part, Moyes liked to implement a 4-2-3-1 at Manchester United and West Ham, at times switching to a 4-4-2 flat, to allow for better execution of his game plans and at times to adjust for the absence of key players in the squad. Interestingly, his 4-4-2 system led to some of his best results as it allowed him to create attacking overloads and allow for more one-on-one opportunities for his attacking players as well. Thus, the system allows for tactical fluidity and allows players to adapt according to the opposition and the situation of the game.

Seeing that the side has the capability and different profiles required to succeed and implement Moyes’ system, the Scotsman will look to quickly verse the players in his way and try to have them buy into his ideology. One of the key criticisms of Sean Dyche’s regime was the fact that while he had a solid defensive structure, his side really struggled to create opportunities on the other end of the pitch, leaving the attackers to do more pressing and tracking back rather than allowing them to thrive offensively. This will likely be a key factor in David Moyes’ side and allow for a much more aggressive Evertonian side. 

David Moyes Trophies and Achievements as A Manager

By all means, it has been 27 years since David Moyes officially began his managerial career. That said, his work has yielded some success but quite possibly not up to his own lofty standards. That said his time managing Preston, Everton, and West Ham United were seen as great successes, and Moyes displayed solid management of the team during cup competitions and during the regular season.

As for his time at Manchester United, it was far more demanding with it being a massive club and Moyes having to fill the shoes of the great Sir Alex Ferguson, the greatest Man United manager and perhaps the greatest manager of all time. That said, his last stint at Everton resulted in some great results, which is something he will be hoping to replicate once more.

Is David Moyes the right fit for Everton?

David Moyes could bring about a real change at Everton if given enough time to implement his system and work with the players for a sustained period of time. There is plenty of evidence in his work with previous clubs with similar tactical approaches and Moyes’s management style and talent identification could well align with the short, medium, and long-term ambitions of the Everton hierarchy.  Additionally, the 61-year-old manager has a reputation for turning around struggling teams which is something he did repeatedly at West Ham, and seeing that Everton is in a similar position, Moyes’ experience and specializations could be exactly what are needed at the Merseyside club to save their season. 

How could Everton line up under David Moyes?

With David Moyes’ 4-3-2-1 formation and long-ball counter, build-up-based attacking style, here’s how Everton could line up in their upcoming Premier League and FA Cup matches. Jordan Pickford is expected to start as their goalkeeper. The four-man backline is expected to consist of any of the right-backs in Ashley Young, Seamus Coleman, or Nathan Patterson, along with James Tarkowski and Jarrod Branthwaite as the center halves and Vitaliy Mykolenko at left-back.

This can be supplemented with Idrissa Gueye and Orel Mangala at the base of midfield with possibly Abdoulaye Doucoure or Dwight McNeil playing ahead of them as the attacking midfielder. Ahead of them Iliman Ndiaye, McNeil, and Jack Harrison can also provide a lot of pace and power, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin or Beto expected to lead the line up top.

With a whole host of young and experienced talents at his disposal, David Moyes will be expected to work his magic and hopefully make a strong case for Everton to at least guarantee their safety and be away from relegation in the coming months. As for the following years, there could be an expectation from Moyes to try and replicate his form at West Ham that saw the Hammers finish in European spots consistently and eventually win a Europa Conference League as well.

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