Everton: Five at the back experiment is clearly not working

Everton have played three central defenders with two wing-backs fairly often over the last two seasons. Team performance when using this formation is invariably subpar.

Sam Allardyce selected an incredibly defensive team against Arsenal on Saturday evening. Everton lined up with three centre-backs, flanked by Cuco Martina and Jonjoe Kenny. Moreover, this quintet was supported by two water carriers in the middle, in Morgan Schneiderlin and Idrissa Gana Gueye.

It’s fair cop to line up with more defenders when playing against one of the bigger teams in the league away. However, this strategy hardly worked on the pitch.

Everton conceded five, and could have let in several more. Sadly, an inability to hold tight and score few is commonplace when they start this unusual formation.

Everton’s poor performance

According to WhoScored, Everton have lined up 14 times in the last two Premier League seasons with five at the back. In this small sample of games, they have lost eight, drawn four and won only two.

To make matters worse, the Blues have leaked goals. They have conceded 31 times in this sample, whilst scoring only 16. This season has been particularly poor. Everton have scored five goals when starting this formation in seven matches, and conceded 17.

Sure Allardyce and his predecessor Ronald Koeman have only played this tactic against top teams, so the numbers are somewhat skewed due to opposition quality.

However, this is still a worrying trend, with 14 of those 17 goals against having come in only three of the seven matches. In short, Everton either cling on for dear life when playing five at the back, or see themselves completely ripped to shreds.

A strange choice of strategy

Sure, playing more defenders should mean a team is more defensively minded. However the reality is more complex.

In fact, a back five is a rather attack orientated formation, which, when used correctly, places responsibility on defenders to generate offense, rather than just sit back. As Ryan Baldi argues on SB Nation:

"The back three has made a comeback thanks to the numerical advantage it affords the deepest of deep-lying playmakers: the modern center-back."

Alternatively, wing-backs can be tasked with offensive playmaking duties, as demonstrated by Victor Moses’ resurgence and Marco Alonso’s dominance in Antonio Conte’s Chelsea last season.

The Everton defence however fulfil neither of these roles. Martina and Kenny are not prone to getting forward effectively. Players such as Ashley Williams and Michael Keane, meanwhile, are not renowned for their passing acumen.

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This is a great problem as with no adequate supply line from defence, the Blues cannot transition play in this formation properly. How often have you seen Oumar Niasse aimlessly chase long balls in big games this season?

It’s little surprise then that playing a back five makes Everton play so deep, and look so defensively inept. With no ball-players in defence, it’s incredibly easy for the opposition to regain possession, and pin the Blues to their penalty box for the entire match.

There’s a difference between deliberately parking the bus, and being forced to park the bus. I can’t help think it’s often been the latter for the Blues of late.

Next: Everton humbled by Arsenal in 5-1 thrashing

The Verdict

The back five isn’t working. Even if Allardyce is seeking stalemates against the big clubs, the team needs some way to relieve opposition pressure. I do not believe that five at the back can offer this with Everton’s current squad. Against Liverpool and Manchester City this season, the Blues need to start with four in defence. Otherwise, they risk being embarrassed.