Having won their opening fixture of the Premier League season quite comfortably against Tottenham, Everton came into this weeks game against West Bromwich Albion in a lot of confidence. The acquisitions of Allan, Abdoulaye Doucouré and James Rodríguez have served to completely change the mood around Goodison Park, with the Toffees looking hopefully towards a finish in the higher reaches of the table this season on the back of those signings. West Brom, on the other hand, havent made too many additions to their squad, although they did manage to bring back Grady Diangana on a permanent transfer from West Ham United, after his successful loan spell with the Baggies last season. They also converted Matheus Pereiras loan deal into a permanent transfer, and have signed Callum Robinson from Sheffield United, with Oliver Burke going the other way. However, there are still large parts of the squad which look distinctly like Championship-quality, and Slaven Bilić may need to add some more quality to his squad if West Brom are to avoid getting sucked into a relegation battle.
This tactical analysis will look at the tactics of both sides, especially before Keiran Gibbs sending off which completely changed the match and allowed Everton to come away with a comfortable victory at the end.
Lineups
Carlo Ancelotti put out the same XI as the one that defeated Tottenham on the opening day, so Michael Keane partnered Yerry Mina at the back, Allan, Doucouré and André Gomes formed the midfield trio, and Richarlison, Rodríguez and Dominic Calvert-Lewin lined up in attack.
Slaven Bilić too named an unchanged side from the one which lost to Leicester City. It was a back five, with Kyle Bartley, Semi Ajayi and Dara OShea as the centre-backs, flanked by Gibbs and Darnell Furlong. Jake Livermore captained the side from midfield, alongside Romaine Sawyers, with Diangana and Pereira on the flanks, and Robinson leading the line.
