According to Simon Gleave, Head of Analysis at Gracenote Sports, via The Liverpool Echo, Everton have seven points more than they had at this stage last season.
This should be hugely encouraging news to The Toffees, and should be a reason for them to kick on this season in pursuit of Europa League football.
This is a clear indication of how far the team have come since last season’s floundering start, as they now sit in ninth place, only one point from sixth place Bournemouth.
The most striking this is that, if we add those seven points onto Everton’s total last season (where they finished in eighth place), they would move above Burnley into a Europa League qualification place. Therefore, there is an argument that if Everton’s season continued the exact same way it did last year, they could be playing in Europe come next season.
Of course, football does not work this way in a world of bizarre statistics. Then again, if we compare how Everton have played compared to last season, purely based on what is on the pitch, there is perhaps more than a theoretical seven point gap. Marco Silva’s arrival, amongst a number of new high-profile signings, have revolutionised The Toffees this season, compared to Sam Allardyce’s sluggish outfit that finished last season.
Thus, both stats and performances are hugely encouraging for Everton at the moment, and with the likes of Man United struggling this season, the Europa League places are certainly up for grabs, it’s up to Everton if they want to take them.
