Everton have made a thrilling climb back up the Premier League table since Marco Silva was sacked, with Duncan Ferguson reverting to a 4-4-2 formation with outstanding success and Carlo Ancelotti building upon that very system. The switch has got the best out of both wingers and in particular Theo Walcott who has undergone a resurgence and has become a vital member of the Italian’s tactical setup.
Walcott, valued at £13.5m (Transfermarkt), is the only natural right-winger who the Toffees have in their squad and when he is not in the team, Everton lack width. Other players such as Alex Iwobi look to cut inside from the flank which can cause the centre of the field to become congested, but the 30-year-old often looks to get into wide areas and deliver crosses for the strikers. No other winger for Everton has attempted more crosses per match than Walcott’s 0.4, which has been a particularly fruitful method of scoring for the Toffees due to Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s prowess in the air.
Only Chris Wood, five, has scored more headers than Calvert-Lewin in the Premier League this season, four, meanwhile his Brazilian teammate has also scored three headers himself. As a partnership, no other strike duo has scored more aerial goals in the division this term and it is a significant aspect of Everton’s game plan, which Walcott is often heavily involved in.
While Ancelotti may need to remind Walcott that he can score, the forward has found the back of the net just once, he does take on 1.4 shots per game more than any other player the Italian manager has featured on the wing in the Everton squad, as per WhoScored. He is yet to transition his shots to a consistent goal supply, but his efforts highlight how Walcott is regularly getting into scoring opportunities.
He has also provided two assists in the Premier League this term which is only one shy of his best creative return since he arrived at Goodison Park in 2018, as per WhoScored. The total number of goals and assists Walcott provides does not paint the full picture, his wide play stretches the opposition and allows others to thrive.
