It’s been a turbulent calendar year for Everton, but they can end it on a high when they entertain Premier League surprise package Nottingham Forest on Sunday afternoon.
From consecutive point deductions midway through last season to a long-running takeover saga, the Goodison Park faithful have had a lot to process in 2024.
However, last Thursday marked the dawn of a new day as Dan Friedkin finally announced a long-awaited acquisition of the Toffees, purchasing the club from Farhad Moshiri.
Sean Dyche’s beleaguered side, equipped with renewed optimism, has shown signs of notable improvement, holding Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City to three consecutive league draws.
Despite slumping to an early deficit at the Etihad Stadium on Boxing Day, the Merseyside outfit held the downtrodden champions to a 1-1 stalemate, courtesy of Iliman Ndiaye’s stunning first-half equaliser.
Ndiaye, who has embraced the ‘ugly side of the game,’ surrendered the spotlight to in-form goalkeeper Jordan Pickford after the half-time interval.
Indeed, the England international thwarted Erling Haaland’s penalty nine minutes into the second half to inspire Everton to a precious point and, in turn, make it one defeat from their last seven league outings (W1, D5).
Time for new owners to step up
With the January transfer window around the corner, now would be a perfect time for the Toffees to shore up their shortcomings, given that their lead on 18th-placed Leicester City remains fragile.
Dyche’s charges boast a slender three-point advantage on the bottom three, highlighting the importance of turning wild Everton transfer news into reality next month.
As The Athletic takes stock of potential winter reinforcements, Dyche prepares tactics for Forest’s upcoming visit to Goodison, aiming to uphold Everton’s dominant recent record against the Tricky Trees.
The Toffees pulled off a league double over Nuno Espirito Santo’s side last season, winning both league meetings without conceding, including a 2-0 triumph in this corresponding fixture in April.
As a result, they’ve now only lost once in their last nine encounters against Forest (W6, D2), making this a favourable match-up despite their visitors’ formidable form.
Tricky opposition
Espirito Santo’s men have lived up to their ‘Tricky Trees’ tag this season as they head into the calendar year finale in third.
Anthony Elanga’s first-half strike settled an intense home affair against Tottenham Hotspur on Boxing Day, guiding Forest to a narrow 1-0 home victory.
That was their fourth successive league triumph since a 3-0 defeat at Man City at the start of December, but the quality of the teams they toppled in this run makes it truly remarkable.
In addition to Spurs, Forest overcame Aston Villa, Brentford and Manchester United to string together a four-game winning streak in the top flight for the first time since 1995.
Forest’s ability to take and forge a lead has been a secret ingredient behind their stellar success this season.
The visitors have struck first in a league-high 14 matches, while it’s worth noting they netted multiple goals across their last three Premier League travels when breaking the deadlock (W3).
Possession misanthropes
Dyche’s stance on possession hasn’t changed throughout his managerial career.
The 53-year-old values directness above anything else, resulting in Everton lamenting the division’s lowest possession average of only 37.5%.
However, he’ll be up against a like-minded counterpart, as Espirito Santo shares an identical view, with only the Toffees averaging less possession than Forest’s 40.1%.
Both coaches prefer to hurt their opposition in transition, so it will be fascinating to see which side can execute their counter-attacking style more effectively.
Goodison has recently been a fortress, as witnessed by Everton’s six-game unbeaten home league run (W2, D4).
With that in mind, Dyche’s men seem capable of knocking Forest off their perch.