sport news Everton have worst away form in Premier League - Frank Lampard must keep faith ... trends now
Everton fans are celebrating the return of the Dogs of War, after two battling displays – and three points against Chelsea - triggered memories of the great escape from relegation in the mid-nineties.
Under Joe Royle in 1994-95, the phrase became Everton's battle-cry and their fighting spirit saw them secure their top-flight status with five days of the season remaining, following a 1-0 win at Ipswich.
For many supporters, that attitude has been missing this season, first under manager Rafael Benitez and even with Frank Lampard at the helm.
Everton supporters are delighted to see their side fighting hard with a 'Dogs of War' spirit
However, there is now evidence on the pitch and in the statistics that the Dogs are back. Snarling with intent, the Toffees have battled hard and broken fast against Liverpool and Chelsea, claiming an unexpected win over the Blues.
Everton fans cannot hide their delight and relief that the team is showing real intent, as the relegation battle winds up to a tight finale. Not only that, an actual dog, held aloft and sailing regally across the crowds, met the Everton team bus, when it arrived at Goodison last Sunday.
Myra, a 20kg Belgian Malinois was out for her walk when she got caught up in the Toffees' relegation struggle, and her owners vow she'll be back for the next home game against Brentford. Inevitably, she now has a Twitter account.
The players resppnded last week to a rousing reception, which even included an actual dog, Myra, the Belgian Malinois (below), by beating Chelsea 1-0 and giving fans hope
Lampard appears to have found a style that works for his players. Against Liverpool and Chelsea, he encouraged his team to play deeper and to join the battle from their own penalty area, before attacking quickly. Surely, he will consider a similar approach at Leicester this afternoon.
In his 11 Premier League matches in charge prior to the Merseyside derby, Everton pressed the ball higher up the pitch. Less than one third of those pressures came in the defensive third, according to the analysis website, FBREF.
Against Liverpool and Chelsea, Everton averaged a similar number of pressures, but almost half of them were in that defensive third.
Lampard's side are chasing Leeds and Burnley to avoid relegation from the Premier League
And the shift is reflected in Everton's tackling, with more interventions in the defensive area of the pitch, on average, in the last two games, compared to the previous matches under Lampard.
It is a different set-up to the one the manager employed at Tottenham on March 7, when Everton lost 5-0, for example. On that day, the Toffees tried to play higher, using a 4-2-3-1 formation, making less than one quarter of their presses in the defensive zone. They paid a heavy price.
The current approach saw Everton play essentially a 4-5-1 against Liverpool and 5-4-1 formation against Chelsea with a combination of Abdoulaye Doucoure,
