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Saturday's 1-0 win over Watford gave Everton their first three points of the new campaign, and another home clean sheet.

Bernard's goal after just 10 minutes was enough to give the Toffees all three points, but it was their ability to shut the Hornets out at the other end of the pitch that proved most impressive.

Although we are just two games into the new campaign, the Blues are now the only side in the division who have yet to concede a league goal.

Meanwhile, you would have to go back to February 6th for the last time the Blues conceded in front of their home fans, and even that was against the eventual Premier League Champions Manchester City.

Since then, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, Burnley and Watford have all tried but failed to break through the Everton defensive line.

Whilst their solidity at home is well documented, their prowess on the road has also been pretty impressive. The Blues have conceded just five goals from open play in that same period - only City have conceded fewer.

What is more striking about this impressive return is that following the 2-0 home defeat to City in February, the Blues’ defensive record ranked them inside the bottom seven in the division. However, by the end of the season, they ranked inside the top six.

The turning point for Everton came after defeat away to Watford which saw them facing a 17 day break before a midweek clash with Cardiff. Whilst unbeknown at the time, this mid-season interval allowed the Toffees to regroup during a pretty turbulent spell and let Silva fine tune some of his sides faltering departments - most notably his defence. The result of the work done over that period looks to be the defensive structure we see now.

But what are the mechanisms behind Silva’s system?

Everton often play a 4-2-3-1 formation with defensive cover being provided by one of the two deeper-lying midfielders in the double-pivot. Last season it was Idrissa Gueye and this season it looks set to be Jean-Philippe Gbamin.

However, out of possession, Everton will usually drop into a 5-3-2, working as one organised group shifting horizontally from side to side.

A crucial and seemingly overlooked aspect to their defensive prowess is the pressure they apply on the opposition when out of possession - this will often come from further up the pitch. The Blues don’t really receive the plaudits they deserve when it comes to praising their pressing capabilities.

But yet, when we look at the metric named Passes Per Defensive Action (PPDA), their prowess is very much emphasised. PPDA is a metric that measures the number of passes allowed by an opposition team before looking to win the ball back. The fewer passes allowed, then the more aggressive the press is for that side. Across last season, only Manchester City could better Everton’s average PPDA of 9.36.

The benefit of this for the defence is that the pressure from those team-mates ahead keeps opposition attackers with their head down and busy on the ball, allowing little time to lift their head up and pick out goal threatening passes to attackers.

The pressure can also force poor passes in key moments, as the image below demonstrates.

Watford pick up the ball in a dangerous postion. If Gomes remains routed to the spot marked in red, then Abdoulaye Doucoure will be given the time and space to play a ball either through or over the Everton defence.

However through Gomes' pressure, Doucoure's pass is a poor one and intercepted by Gbamin.

That pressure in the middle means the defensive line can push forward and play higher up the pitch. The idea behind doing so is that the opposition teams have very little room to try and play through the middle and build an attack.

As a result, they will likely be forced to play a long ball forward and over the top of the Everton defence. Although Everton’s defence isn’t blessed with blistering pace, through the likes of Kurt Zouma last season and Yerry Mina this season, they do have enough to match most forwards in a leg race.

The introduction of VAR this season also means there is less reliance on officials making the correct offside calls on the pitch as they now know as long as they maintain an organised defensive line, they can be rest assured that any missed offside by the officials resulting in a goal will be ruled out.

Of course, it isn’t always possible to keep an attacking line at bay and as a result, Everton defenders will ultimately be relied upon to perform the basics of being a defender at various stages throughout a game. But this is another area in which the Blues have seen a huge improvement.

Whilst we know Everton posses strong full-backs, the centre-back area has been a cause for concern in the past. Zouma proved a fan favourite last season, particularly in the back end of the campaign which saw his parent club Chelsea refuse to sell the 24-year-old to Everton this summer, despite the Blues heightened interest. However, after a turbulent campaign marred by injury, Mina has filled the shoes left by the Chelsea man and put in two brilliant man-of-the-match performances so far this season.

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Time will tell whether he can maintain that level of performance over the course of the season, however one defender who certainly has established himself as the rock in the heart of the defence is Michael Keane.

Keane arrived at Goodison Park two years ago for a hefty fee of £25m. However, he endured a largely underwhelming first 12 months at the club, throwing into question his long-term future. Thankfully though, as the season progressed last year, his stature grew within the side and he finished last season as one of the first names on the team-sheet.

Whilst strong in the air and in defensive duels, it is his improved IQ when facing pacey attackers that really stands out. Lacking pace, in previous seasons he has struggled to deal with fleet-footed forwards. His eagerness to dive in allowed good dribbles the opportunity to bypass him and create good chances on goal.

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However, as we can see from the blow, it is an area of his game that has improved.

Keane is tasked with tracking Gerard Deulofeu who is well known with Evertonians for his skill and pace. As the ball is fired up towards him, he anticipates Kean coming touch tight in order to muscle him off the ball.

Deulofeu's intention is to let the ball drop over him and Kean, allowing him to turn and drive towards the Everton goal. However, Keane is aware of his plan and instead drops a yard behind the forward.

As a result, when Deulofeu lets the ball bounce over his head, Keane is perfectly positioned to intercept the same and play a simple pass to regain possession of the ball for Everton.

Overall, it would seem there is no one set formula on Everton’s defensive success, but instead a mixture of elements that have seen them develop into one of the best defensive teams in the league.

The same could provide the relevant foundations for a very strong campaign for the Toffees this season.