David Moyes is back at Everton, bringing his experience and tactical identity to a club he previously shaped for over a decade. However, this is not the same Everton he left in 2013, nor is it the same Moyes. The Premier League has evolved, and so has the Scottish manager.
In this analysis, we will break down Moyes’ tactical approach in his second spell at Goodison Park. How has he adapted his philosophy to fit Everton’s current squad? What principles define his team’s defensive structure, pressing strategy, and attacking patterns? This article will examine his tactical setup, key player roles, and the adjustments he has made to navigate modern football’s demands.
Build-up
In the build-up, Moyes usually sets his team up in a 1-4-3-3 formation, with a back four, one number-six, two number-eights, and a front three.
Building up in a 1-4-3-3 formation focuses on creating a solid foundation at the back while maintaining fluidity and options in the midfield. The formation begins with four defenders, who provide width and stability, allowing for controlled possession from deep areas. The single defensive midfielder connects the defense to the midfield, dictating the tempo and distributing the ball to the two more advanced central midfielders. These midfielders position themselves to exploit spaces between the opposition’s lines, creating passing triangles that facilitate smooth progression up the pitch. The three forwards, with the central striker as the focal point, are always ready to receive the ball, either through direct passes or by making runs behind the defense. This setup allows the team to transition quickly from attack to defense, maintaining pressure on the opponent while ensuring defensive coverage.
Wingers Inverting
The Everton wingers play a key role in Moyes’s tactical setup by frequently inverting, which adds a unique layer of fluidity to their attack. Rather than staying wide, they come inside to occupy the half-spaces, positioning themselves between the opposition’s fullbacks and center-backs. This movement pulls defenders out of position, opening up central areas for quick passing combinations and creating space for overlapping fullbacks on the outside. By inverting, the wingers also provide additional support in the middle of the field, allowing Everton to create numerical superiorities in central zones.
Additionally, when the wingers drift inside to occupy central spaces, the fullbacks are encouraged to push up high and wide. This movement stretches the opposition defense, opening up passing lanes and creating opportunities for crosses from the flanks.
Directness
Moyes’s Everton often take a direct approach in their build-up play, frequently opting for early long balls to target striker Beto. Rather than building through short passes, Everton’s strategy often aims to bypass the midfield and immediately create pressure on the opposition’s backline. By sending early balls up to Beto, who is skilled in holding up play and winning aerial duels, they establish a platform from which Everton can quickly transition into attacking phases. This tactic not only leverages Beto’s physical presence but also keeps the opposition on alert, disrupting their defensive structure and allowing Everton’s supporting players to move into advanced positions where they can receive the ball.
Building up like this offers minimal risk while allowing Everton to quickly advance the ball and keep the opposition under pressure. It also maximizes Beto’s strengths, enabling him to hold up play and involve his teammates higher up the field, creating fast-paced attacking opportunities.
Maximizing Players’ Strengths Through Tactical Adaptation
One of David Moyes’ key tactical principles is utilizing players in roles that best suit their individual strengths. Rather than forcing them into rigid positional structures, he adjusts his formations and in-game tactics to maximize their impact. This adaptability allows Everton to be more fluid in their approach, often shifting formations based on personnel.
A clear example of this is how Moyes has deployed Iliman Ndiaye and Vitalii Mykolenko on the left flank. Recognizing Ndiaye’s comfort drifting inside and influencing play centrally, Moyes has instructed him to invert into midfield rather than staying wide. Meanwhile, Mykolenko, who thrives in an advanced role with space to attack, pushes up aggressively along the flank.
On the other side, the right-winger Jack Harrison stays wide while the right-back Jake O’Brien comes in next to the center-backs. This tactical tweak has transformed Everton’s usual 1-4-3-3 into a more asymmetric 1-3-2-2-3 shape, with Mykolenko functioning as a high left-winger and Ndiaye adding an extra presence in midfield.
By prioritizing players’ natural abilities, Moyes not only enhances individual performances but also creates dynamic, adaptable team structures. This flexibility makes Everton more unpredictable and allows them to adjust their shape based on the opposition, a level of tactical sophistication that sets them apart from their previous setup.
Using the Goalkeeper
Moyes likes using the goalkeeper in the build-up. The Everton goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford, will often push up between the center-backs, giving Moyes’s team an extra man in the build-up phase.
Using the goalkeeper in the build-up phase offers numerous tactical advantages. By involving the goalkeeper, Everton can create numerical superiority at the back, making it easier to evade the opponent’s press and maintain possession. This additional player allows for more passing options, reducing the risk of losing possession and enabling smoother transitions from defense to attack. The goalkeeper can also act as a pivot, switching play across the field to exploit weak points in the opposition’s formation. Furthermore, involving the goalkeeper helps in drawing the opposition forward, creating space higher up the pitch for attackers to exploit.
Additionally, Pickford’s exceptional long passing and vision add another dimension to Everton’s build-up, allowing them to bypass the press and transition quickly into attack. Moyes utilizes his goalkeeper’s ability to pick out precise long balls, often targeting Everton’s physically strong midfielders and attackers who can win aerial duels or hold up play. This strategy helps Everton gain territory efficiently, with Pickford finding runners in wide areas or playing direct into the striker to create second-ball opportunities.
By mixing short build-up with these long passes, Everton remain unpredictable and can exploit different types of defensive setups.
Balls in Behind
Under David Moyes, Everton have effectively utilized over-the-top through-balls to exploit space behind the opposition’s defense. With a direct and aggressive attacking approach, Everton’s midfielders and defenders look for quick vertical passes over the top, targeting the pace of their forwards making well-timed runs. This tactic has been especially effective against high defensive lines, allowing Everton to bypass opposition pressure and create dangerous goal-scoring opportunities.
Additionally, this constant threat prevents the opposition from playing with a high backline and closing the space between the lines. Instead, they have to drop the backline and protect the space in behind. This opens the space in front of the backline for the Everton midfielders to exploit.
Overlaps
Everton have used overlaps as a key tactic to create goalscoring opportunities under David Moyes. This involves the fullbacks making forward runs to get around their winger, providing an extra attacking option on the flanks. By doing so, they create a 2v1 situation with the winger against the opposition fullback, which could be used to beat the fullback and create crossing opportunities.
The Everton wingers often initiate the play by attracting the opposition fullback, leaving space for an overlapping fullback to exploit. The overlap forces the defending fullback to make difficult decisions—either stick with the winger or follow the overlapping fullback. If the opposition fullback drops to cover the overlapping run, the winger could cut inside and take a shot or combine with a midfielder. If the fullback covers the center, the ball can easily be played to the overlapping player, creating a crossing opportunity.
Crossing
Under David Moyes, Everton have placed a strong emphasis on scoring goals through crosses, utilizing a variety of deliveries from different areas of the pitch. Whether from deep positions, the byline, or even half-spaces, Moyes’ side looks to create chances by supplying the box with well-timed deliveries aimed at their aerial threats.
Fullbacks and wingers play a crucial role in this approach, with players like Vitalii Mykolenko and Jake O’Brien frequently pushing forward to whip in crosses. However, Everton’s crossing strategy is not limited to traditional wide areas—central midfielders and even center-backs can also deliver balls into the box from deep. Moyes ensures that multiple players make aggressive runs into the penalty area, increasing the chances of converting these deliveries.
This crossing-heavy approach suits Everton’s physical and hard-working squad, with strikers and attacking midfielders often positioned to attack the ball aggressively. Whether it’s a floated cross to a target man, a driven low ball across the face of goal, or a cut-back from an overlapping fullback, Everton’s attacking patterns revolve around creating high-quality chances from wide areas.
Many Players in the Box
Moyes also emphasizes getting multiple players into the box, creating a chaotic environment for the opposition defenders, and increasing their chances of scoring. The attackers and midfielders look to make aggressive runs into the box when the ball is in the final third, often getting four or five players into these areas to create overloads.
The numerical advantages in the box increase the chances of connecting with the cross, as more players present multiple targets for the crosser, making it harder for defenders to mark everyone effectively. Additionally, having multiple players in the box provides options for different types of finishes, whether it’s a header, volley, or a quick tap-in. It also allows for better positioning to react to second balls or rebounds, increasing the likelihood of capitalizing on any defensive errors.
Moyes also positions many players outside the box, ready for the second balls and cut-backs. When Everton create crossing opportunities, the opposition defense drops back, which opens the space in front of the backline. The central midfielders can collect any loose balls or be found directly in these spaces with cut-backs, and from there, they can shoot or combine with an attacker to create goalscoring opportunities.
Defending
In his first games back, Moyes has been tactically flexible, particularly when it comes to Everton’s defensive formations. In most games, they start with a 1-4-4-2 shape when defending, which provides a solid and compact structure.
However, they often switch to a 1-5-2-3 formation, with one more center-back, giving them more cover in front of goal.
This versatility in their defensive approach allows Everton to adapt to various opponents, giving them an edge in different match scenarios.
Compactness
David Moyes’s teams ae always known for being extremely compact when defending. Regardless of the formation, the team maintains a tight defensive shape, often utilizing a low or mid-block to close down spaces between the lines and limit the opposition’s passing options. Moyes ensures his players stay close together, reducing gaps for opponents to exploit and making it difficult for them to progress centrally. The compact structure allows Everton to defend in numbers, with players quickly collapsing on the ball when it enters their zone, forcing the opposition to play wide or attempt risky passes. This disciplined approach not only frustrates opponents but also enables quick counterattacks when possession is regained.
Squeezing the Pitch
To prevent his team from becoming too low when defending, Moyes wants his team to squeeze the pitch. This means constantly pushing the team up as much as possible. Every time the opponent plays a slow, sideways pass or a back pass, Everton’s first line of pressure pushes up, with the rest of the team following to stay compact. When the next pass comes, they push up even more, forcing the opponent back even more.
This approach keeps opponents under constant pressure, making it difficult for them to build rhythm or find space between the lines. It also pushes the opponent further away from the Everton goal, making it harder to create chances.
Work Rate
One of the defining traits of Everton under David Moyes is their relentless work rate, especially in defense. His teams are known for their discipline, organization, and commitment to off-the-ball effort. Everton defend in a compact shape, with players pressing intelligently rather than recklessly, ensuring they maintain defensive stability while limiting space for the opposition.
Moyes demands high-intensity tracking from his midfielders and forwards, forcing opponents into wide areas or rushed decisions. The backline stays well-drilled, often engaging in last-ditch blocks and interceptions, while the team as a whole works tirelessly to regain possession. This defensive resilience and collective effort make Everton a difficult team to break down, reinforcing Moyes’ reputation for building structured and hardworking sides.
High Press
Moyes also implements a high-pressing system designed to disrupt the opposition’s build-up and force turnovers in dangerous areas. Their pressing structure will depend on the opposition, but they usually press in an aggressive man-to-man system. Each player is assigned a direct opponent to mark tightly, ensuring no easy passing options are available.
This intense pressure forces the opposing team into hurried decisions, often resulting in turnovers in dangerous areas. Everton almost use this high press as an attacking threat, scoring many goals from winning the ball high up the pitch.
Here, for example, they win the ball high up the pitch and find the striker in a wide-open space in the box, who can shoot at goal.
In a man-to-man system, it becomes crucial that the players know when to mark the opponent they are responsible for and when not to. If an opponent, for example, is very far from the ball, the Everton player marking him does not need to be as close to him. He can instead come in and help create numerical superiorities in the center, decreasing the risk of dangerous 1v1 situations.
The Everton players will always have an opposition player they are responsible for. However, they will never be closer to them than they need to be. A rule of thumb for the players could be that the closer you are to the ball, the closer you need to be to your opponent. The further away you are from the ball, the further away you can be from your opponent.
Increased Energy and Aggression in Transitions
One of the most noticeable improvements in Everton under David Moyes compared to Sean Dyche’s tenure is their increased energy and aggression, particularly in transitions. While Dyche’s Everton was often reactive and structured, Moyes has instilled a more proactive approach, with his side looking sharper and more intense when the ball changes hands.
Defensive Transitions
Defensively, Everton press with greater urgency, immediately engaging opponents upon losing possession. Instead of simply dropping into a deep block, they now look to disrupt opposition build-up higher up the pitch, making them more difficult to play through. The four or five players closest will immediately jump on the opposition player with the ball and close the distance to cut off any passing lanes. This approach disrupts the opponent’s transition from defense to attack, forcing errors and creating opportunities to regain control in dangerous areas.
When the immediate counterpress is beaten, Everton’s defensive commitment doesn’t stop there. Moyes has instilled a strong sense of urgency in tracking back, ensuring the team remains difficult to break down even when caught in transition. Midfielders and forwards sprint back to close down passing lanes, while the fullbacks and center-backs quickly regain their defensive shape. This level of work rate prevents opponents from exploiting space easily and forces them into slower, more predictable attacks.
By combining aggressive counterpressing with disciplined recovery runs, Everton maintain defensive solidity even in chaotic moments, making them far more resilient against counterattacks than they were under Dyche.
Offensive Transitions
In attacking transitions, Everton break forward with more pace and directness. Under Moyes, there is a greater emphasis on verticality, with midfielders and wide players bursting forward to support counterattacks. This newfound intensity makes them far more dangerous in moments of transition, catching teams off guard and creating more goal-scoring opportunities.
Everton also try to involve many players in their counterattacks, creating varied options and making it difficult for opponents to predict the next move. This ensures that Everton have plenty of support around the ball and several passing options in transition.
Final Thoughts
David Moyes’ return to Everton marks a new chapter for both the manager and the club. While his core principles—defensive solidity, structured pressing, and disciplined organization—remain, he has also shown tactical flexibility to adapt to the modern game. His approach balances resilience with direct attacking transitions, aiming to maximize Everton’s strengths in and out of possession.
The challenge for Moyes will be sustaining consistency in results while refining his tactical setup to compete in an ever-evolving Premier League. His success will depend on how well his squad absorbs his philosophy and whether he can implement the necessary adjustments over time. One thing is certain—Everton under Moyes will be structured, competitive, and difficult to break down, a team that reflects the identity of its experienced manager.