A Tale of Two Managers – David Moyes and Graham Potter

There’s a world in which the managers set to be on the touchline when Everton and West Ham face off on Monday night could have been in opposite dugouts.

​Both Everton and West Ham sacked their respective managers, Julien Lopetegui and Sean Dyche, back in early January, and Graham Potter interviewed for both positions.

​Meanwhile, David Moyes had only just finished his second spell at West Ham and, amidst the Hammers’ struggles, he reportedly said he’d be open to a third spell with the London club.

​In the end, West Ham appointed Graham Potter, and David Moyes returned for his second spell at Everton. Less than a year later, you’d be hard-pressed to find a West Ham supporter who feels they came out better from their appointment.

​West Ham are already looking at replacements for Potter after a poor start to the season, and the Everton match on Monday may be his last chance to save his job.

​Since taking the helm at West Ham, Potter’s team has only won six games, the joint-worst record for a West Ham manager in the Premier League era.

​This season, his side got off to an even worse start. They sit second from bottom with one win and four losses in their opening five fixtures.

​After a full preseason with his side, Potter’s improved neither the West Ham attack nor defence, scoring fewer goals than they did last season, and ranking bottom of the league for expected goals and tackles per match.

​Their performance is in stark contrast to the stability that David Moyes has instilled at Everton since his return. Taking over a side struggling in the league, failing to score goals, and averaging less than a point per game.

​Moyes built on the solid defensive foundations left by Sean Dyche and significantly improved the squad's attack. Focusing on improving the quality of attacking chances, and tweaking the physical, long-ball attack that Everton had struggled to convert on under Dyche.

​Under his management, Everton almost doubled their goals per game, going from 0.79 to 1.42.

​So far this season, Everton’s attack, bolstered by several new summer additions, has continued building on those improvements. They’ve put in several attacking performances, notably against Wolves and Brighton, that were a far cry from the failed long-ball attacks of a year ago.

​However, things aren’t all rosy for David Moyes. The Everton defence has looked weaker so far this season, conceding a higher xG per game (1.4) than they did last campaign (1.2), and their points per game are also slightly lower, at 1.4 compared to the previous season's 1.6.

​Success for Moyes in his second tenure will be defined by whether he can continue to build on the improvements from last season.

​When the West Ham board parted ways with Moyes at the end of the 2023-24 season, it wasn’t because of massive underperformance, but rather that they felt they’d reached their peak with Moyes.

​Throughout Moyes’s career, he’s gotten his squads to just below the glass ceiling, but never quite broken through it. With the new stadium and ownership group, Everton’s definition of success is evolving, and Moyes will need to evolve with it.  

​But looking at Graham Potter in the West Ham dugout serves as a reminder that the grass isn’t always greener. 

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