Everton star who had some of the worst stats in Europe is now undroppable
Sometimes, in football, it can take players a while to settle at a new club, often having to learn a new system, build relationships with their teammates, and settle into life in a new area. Everton are certainly no strangers to that; just look at Jordan Pickford.
There are many examples of players joining a new club and struggling in their first season, failing to have the expected impact on the team, and often being criticised for this.
However, many players have then gone on to prove their worth in the second season, a great example of this was Jack Grealish, who moved to Manchester City, struggled to impress in his debut season at the club – scoring just three league goals – before thriving in his second campaign and helping the club to a historic treble.
Everton may have their own success story emerging this season, with a player who was performing poorly and is now playing at an undroppable level for Sean Dyche’s men.
Dwight McNeil’s poor form before Everton
Back in 2022, Dwight McNeil joined Everton from Burnley, for a fee of around £20m. Many were worried Everton had been ripped off by paying this fee after his poor 2021/22 campaign for Burnley.
McNeil made 40 appearances for the Clarets that season, not scoring a single goal, and only providing one assist in 3,277 minutes played.
McNeil had also taken 52 attempts without finding the net during that season, confirmed as the worst streak by any player in the top five leagues by WhoScored.
But since joining the Toffees, McNeil has improved his output and is quickly becoming one of Dyche’s go-to men, with a system change to bring him more central even being implemented, in order to get him closer to goal.
Dwight McNeil red-hot start
In his first eight appearances of the new campaign, McNeil has scored four goals and provided two assists, playing 713 minutes already for the Merseyside club. This is already more goals than he managed in the entirety of last season when he found the net on three occasions.
In his last four games for the Toffees, Dyche has opted to play McNeil as an attacking midfielder, behind the striker, looking to get him closer to the box, get more shots off, and in dangerous areas to help his team.
This has proven to be game-changing for a player who was usually always seen as a wide option.
The improvement you can already see here is breathtaking, with McNeil now scoring at a 0.22 goals/shot ratio, managing a higher shot volume (2.20 per 90), and making more key passes (3.39 per 90).
This comes from his new central role, allowing him to be involved in all of Everton’s attacking play, link up with the striker, and get into more dangerous areas to test the keeper with a shot, or slot an incisive pass in behind for runners.
