Everton: 3 takeaways from 1-0 loss against Watford

We share our three takeaways from the 1-0 loss against Watford at Vicarage Road, which was the eighth defeat on the road this season for Everton.

Everton failed to pick up points away from Goodison Park for the umpteenth time this season. This time, Watford took the spoils, as a Troy Deeney goal consigned the Blues to another disappointing defeat.

There is a lot to unpick from this match, and you can read our complete review here. In the mean-time, here are three key takeaways from Everton’s struggles against the Hornets:

1) Everton’s playmaking problems continue

Earlier this season, I suggested the Toffees needed a change in midfield. Whilst Ronald Koeman gave them an abundance of number tens in the summer, there are few players in the engine room who can link play up effectively.

Saturday’s game was perhaps the clearest example of this lack, as the Blues were forced long with disastrous results. They completed a paltry 68 percent of total passes in this match according to Squawka. The majority of these were launches from defence.

As this passmap, assembled by @11tegen11, demonstrates, play continually broke down in the centre. Despite receiving the ball frequently from the back four, Idrissa Gueye and Wayne Rooney could not distribute it forward consistently.

Tom Davies was similarly poor, and was unable to link up meaningfully with Theo Walcott or Gylfi Sigurdsson. It’s little wonder the Blues created little up front.

Everton urgently need a playmaker, as without one, chances will continue to be few and far between. Perhaps Sigurdsson could be played in a deeper role?