Everton's set-piece focus: How Moyes is building attack around far-post runs

Everton's opening-day win over Crystal Palace featured a goal from Thierno Barry, who headed in a cross from Iliman Ndiaye after a quick free kick. Manager David Moyes praised the move and said the team aims to deliver more balls into the box. The club's attacking pattern relies on forwards' movement to create back-post opportunities.

Moyes's tactical blueprint relies on coordinated movement between strikers and attacking midfielders to manufacture back-post chances. Barry and Beto frequently drag defenders inward, momentarily freeing teammates like Ndiaye to attack the far post unmarked. The approach produced goals against Brighton and Liverpool last season, with Dewsbury-Hall's underlapping runs from the left half-space repeatedly forcing opposition center-backs to shift across and open space behind them.

The quick free-kick routine that led to Barry's goal against Palace originated from new signing Hayden Hackney, who joined from Middlesbrough in the Championship. Moyes has publicly emphasized the team's commitment to delivering more balls into the box, with the timing of forward runs being as critical as the quality of the crosses themselves. Everton's attacking patterns now consistently target the back-post area as their primary scoring avenue.