Read on Twitter
THREADDominic Calvert-Lewin
DCL has received a lot of attention recently after his fantastic start to the season, & rightly so. Much has been made of his evolution under Carlo Ancelotti since his arrival as Everton manager. Here I have analysed what has changed with DCLĀ“s
performances & how he has became more dangerous in possession. By digging in to some of his underlying numbers as well as looking at his in game performances, I wanted to see what exactly has made him so successful this season.
So far this season in league play DCL has scored 8 goals in 7 matches. With an xG of 5.09 thereĀ“s no question heĀ“s been clinical in front of goal. If we look at his numbers from last year he scored 13 goals in league play with an xG of 16.87 which indicates he was underperforming
In addition to his goal scoring, he has also been taking more shots per match compared to last season.
Shots p90
-19/20: 2.84
-20/21: 3.53
Not only has the quantity of his shots increased, but also the quality of attempts as well.
Shots on target %
-19/20: 44.6
-20/21: 58.3
Shots p90
-19/20: 2.84
-20/21: 3.53
Not only has the quantity of his shots increased, but also the quality of attempts as well.
Shots on target %
-19/20: 44.6
-20/21: 58.3
With an increase in both quality & quantity of shots also comes another interesting statical improvement. His xG per shot has increased from .16 last season to .23 this season, a solid indication of the quality of his shots.
This season, Everton have played predominantly with 1 striker. This has allowed (or forced) DCL to stay in more central areas of the pitch & in front of the goal. A very interesting outcome of this: All 8 of his goals have been scored with one touch. @Wyscout
This tactical change has been key in his ability to score more goals. He has fantastic movement in & around the box & is now able to use that asset to find himself in great goal scoring situations where he can finish with one touch as mentioned above.
1 thing IĀ“d like to point out about his movement, is his knack for always making subtle adjustments & repositioning himself. This allows for 2 key things: HeĀ“s able to create better angles for himself to receive the ball & also allows for him to catch defenders on their blindside
Another example here, where a quick reposition into space allows for him to create the better passing angle while simultaneously creating separation from the defender & catching him ball-watching. Small movements like this make him a very elusive presence.
Another KPI of his transition into a more central role is his touches in the attacking penalty area:
Touches Att Pen p90
19/20: 4.93
20/21: 5.74
A clear indicator of his desire to receive centrally as opposed to receiving in the channels.
Touches Att Pen p90
19/20: 4.93
20/21: 5.74
A clear indicator of his desire to receive centrally as opposed to receiving in the channels.
In addition to his increased touches in the Att Pen area, his touches in the Attacking 3rd have slightly increased, while both his touches in the Def 3rd & Mid 3rd have decreased. Showing that his new role is based more on his attacking output than his defensive work.
His central role has also had an impact on his ball progression. By occupying more central areas & running the channels less, his Progressive Distance p90 has dropped from 45.2 yards to 34.3 yards this season.
His in possession abilities also rank very favourably when looking at @smarterscout Model Ratings as well. With an attacking output of 89 and Shoot Rating of 99, he clearly is performing well based on their detailed metrics as well.
No analysis of DCL would be complete without mentioning the unbelievable threat he poses in air. Arguably one of the best aerial attackers in the Premier League, last season only 3 more players scored from headers, while he has continued that threat this season already scoring 4.
Some more data backing up his aerial dominance: Winning over 3 aerial duels per match means only 3 other attacking players have won more so far this season.
There is no question in my mind the change of systems under Ancelotti as well as the addition of James Rodriguez among other things, has contributed to DCLĀ“s improved attacking output. It will be interesting to see if he can sustain his performance levels over a whole season.
Thanks for reading, all shares are always much appreciated!
Data from: @smarterscout @fbref @Wyscout @WhoScored
@ToffeeTVEFC @ToffeeAnalysis @EvertonBlueArmy @TheToffeeBlues @ToffeesNews @RoyalBlueEFC @EvertonMusings @EFCsupporters @EFCStats
Data from: @smarterscout @fbref @Wyscout @WhoScored
@ToffeeTVEFC @ToffeeAnalysis @EvertonBlueArmy @TheToffeeBlues @ToffeesNews @RoyalBlueEFC @EvertonMusings @EFCsupporters @EFCStats
