Everton are unbeaten after five Premier League games, with two wins and three draws putting them seventh on nine points; they have not yet faced a top-half side. In SB Nation’s roundtable, writers called the start solid but questioned the team’s scoring and squad rotation.
Contributors described David Moyes’s approach as pragmatic and transition-based; one preferred the pre-season 4-1-4-1 to the 4-2-3-1 Everton have used. Several questioned substitutions and limited rotation. One called for more minutes for Charly Alcaraz and Jake O’Brien; another noted Alcaraz had played only four league minutes and criticized Hayden Hackney’s brief or out-of-position appearances.
Calvin cited Everton’s three goals conceded against 7.20 expected goals against (eighth in the league) and six scored from 8.35 expected goals (ninth). He credited Jordan Pickford’s goalkeeping and opponents’ poor finishing for the defensive record. Contributors also worried Everton might not score enough to maintain their start, though Thierno Barry was getting into scoring positions.
