David Moyes
Everton’s recent struggles with defending set pieces have become a growing concern for manager David Moyes. The team has conceded crucial goals from set pieces in their recent matches against Liverpool and West Ham, raising questions about their defensive strategies. The issue came to a head during the Merseyside derby when Virgil van Dijk’s stoppage-time header secured a dramatic victory for Liverpool. This prompted immediate discussions at Finch Farm on how to address the team’s newfound fragility in set-piece situations.
David Moyes said: “I wasn’t that concerned up until the last few weeks because I think we were third best in the Premier League, so the last couple of games I’ve been really disappointed with it. Up until a week and a half ago, two weeks ago [we were doing OK]. [Then] we lose a goal here against Liverpool from a corner and then we lose the goal at West Ham from a corner as well, so it’s played a big part. It’s OK if we’d been scoring against them or getting it back, then you could say OK then, it’s a bit even, but we didn’t. It’s something which I’m concerned enough about, that’s for sure.”
Despite the discussions, Everton fell to another defeat against West Ham, with Tomas Soucek scoring from a similar corner routine. Moyes has emphasized that the issue is not down to personnel, even though key players Jarrad Branthwaite and Beto were absent due to injuries during these matches. Their absence, however, does not serve as an excuse for Moyes, who remains focused on finding a strategic solution.
David Moyes explained: “We went into depth to try and stop it. So, after Liverpool, it wasn’t as if we didn’t look into what we could have done better. We did, we had a big discussion about it. But we got done in quite a similar way. So I’m going to have to find out, if I can, what I can alter. But let’s be fair up, until now, you’d have said we’ve not really had a huge problem. So it’s one of those things, do you go out of the way to try and do something about it, or do you trust what’s happened for the best part of 10 months? There’s a bit of both.”
The recurring set-piece issues have not only affected Everton’s recent match outcomes but have also dented their hopes of European qualification. Moyes is now tasked with the challenge of balancing immediate tactical adjustments with the trust in a system that has largely worked over the past season. As Everton prepares to face Manchester City, the pressure is on to rectify these defensive lapses and regain stability in their backline.
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