Three things we learned from Everton's 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur

By Jake Jackman

Everton hosted Tottenham as the two sides shared the points on the opening day. The home side have a new manager in Ronald Koeman and will be hoping for a much better campaign than last year, with a top eight finish a real possibility. They are still some way behind Tottenham in both squad depth and individual quality, but the opening day showed that they will be a much harder side to beat than they were under Roberto Martinez. In terms of the visitors, some of their attackers looked like a shadow of the players we know and they will need to improve in that department. Here are three things we learned from the game at Goodison Park:

Koeman’s tactical flexibility will be improve Everton

They played three at the back on Saturday, with James McCarthy in an unfamiliar right wing back role. Although it was their first time playing the system, they looked well organised at the back and it took a while for Spurs to get into the game. Their defence last season was poor and they shipped goals regularly, especially in the second half of the season. Koeman is known for his defensive coaching and he has already had a huge effect on Everton during his short time at the club.

In terms of work rate, the side pressed well and unsettled Tottenham in the first half, leading to a well-deserved lead at the break. Koeman wants his teams to play with high intensity and he has implemented that rapidly at Goodison Park. Some of the players who started today could have been accused of being lazy and giving up too easily last season. That wasn’t the case today and the early indications are that Everton are going to be a force once again this season.