Everton: When will we see the real Gylfi Sigurdsson?

After the initial excitement of signing Gylfi Sigurdsson, Everton and their fans are still waiting for the Icelandic international to live up to his reputation.

It’s fair to say Gylfi Sigurdsson has not had the best of starts to his Everton career. And while you can argue the majority of the team has been indifferent so far this season, what’s behind his early struggles specifically?

One problem appears to have been Ronald Koeman’s insistence on playing what he considers are his best 11, regardless of their position. This has proved to be an issue for Sigurdsson.

The Icelandic international likes to play in the No. 10 position, behind a lone striker However, so do Wayne Rooney and Davy Klaassen.

This has led to a situation where the trio have often cancelled each other out, which has in turn affected the team as a whole. Regardless of their individual abilities, Koeman’s decision to pick them all is not helping.

Of the three, you can even argue Sigurdsson has been the least effective player up to this point. However, that’s not his only issue.

Last season, the 28-year-old had nine goals, 13 assists and just generally created havoc for Swansea City’s opponents. By comparison, he does not have a single goal or assist so far in the 2017/18 league campaign. (There was of course his stunning 50-yard effort in Europe, versus Hajduk Split.)

So what gives? Consider the analysis of Sky Sports‘ Nick Wright.

As Wright notes, Sigurdsson ranked seventh in the Premier League last season, for chances created. However, only 25 of the 80 opportunities he created, came from open play.

Pure and simple, the attacking midfielder is more effective from set pieces, rather than in open play. However, even here, he is affected by the lack of an effective No. 9 to aim for.

This is shown in another telling statistic. As Wright explains, Everton are one of just five Premier League teams yet to score a goal from a set piece this season.

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It’s possible this can at least be partly rectified, if Oumar Niasse starts to get more opportunities to play. Similarly, as Sigurdsson gets more comfortable and builds up a rapport with the likes of Niasse and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, this could also pay dividends.

However, it will also come down to Koeman’s formation and tactics, as well as more effort and inspiration from Sigurdsson himself. It’s significant that the Blues have the third-fewest crosses so far this season, in the Premier League.

As we noted earlier and the other day with Davy Klaassen, it’s not as if Sigurdsson is the only player struggling to find form. In theory, when results improve, he will perform better.

Of course, it’s going to take better performances from the former Tottenham Hotspur player and the team in general, to help these results improve. The slow start is not entirely on the individual, but he still has to do his bit to play at a level we’re more accustomed to.

There’s still every confidence Sigurdsson will return to the form which persuaded Everton to pay £45 million for him. However, there is only so long the fans will wait, before they quite rightly begin to lose faith.

Next: Blues interested in highly-rated Keinan Davis

What do you think is behind Sigurdsson’s indifferent start to his Everton career? Are you concerned, or are you confident he will soon show the form which persuaded the Blues to pay a club record fee for him? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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