At Everton, the attention to detail under the new leadership has been immaculate.
Sean Dyche has been intent on attaining those marginal gains at every opportunity, and as such has now crafted an intelligent side of winners capable of grinding out results against the odds when previously they might have crumbled.
To win their last four Premier League matches alone is impressive, but to do it with clean sheets too is unprecedented. Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United, Chelsea and now Burnley, all kept silent.
And then, at the other end of the pitch, they are proving extremely proficient down a number of avenues. However, few are proving as profitable as set-pieces, which Jamie Redknapp sought to detail live on Sky Sports after the game.
The former Liverpool midfielder was left gushing over Everton’s 52-year-old head coach in particular, noting: ‘They’re the top of the charts, and that’s what you want.
‘Any manager that looks like a team that might make things happen, I think from Burnley’s point of view they’ll probably look at it, you mentioned it at half time Izzy and you were spot on. It’s not always the first ball, it’s the second ball and how you react off that.
‘Once he heads it, cushions it down, somebody has to be at that second ball. There’s four Burnley players and nobody tracked Michael Keane, and that’s why they ended up in the situation they did.
‘This is attention to detail, I love it. This shows you everything what Sean Dyche is about. Make no mistake his teams can play as well, but when you’re organised and you’ve got people doing things the right way, you’re going to cause so many teams problems. And that’s credit to the manager, credit to the players, to make sure they’re disciplined on the training field.’
How good are Everton at set pieces?
Well, it is actually the data that Redknapp is analysing that outlines just how impressive the Toffees have been from a dead ball.
It reads that Everton sit alone as the side with the most set-piece goals, with the percentage of their goals again the outright highest at 45%. Only Luton Town compare, with 41%, with it proving a threat tough to quell.
After all, with the wicked inswinging deliveries of both James Garner and Dwight McNeil, all tactics go out the window.
Goalkeepers are put under immense pressure by the hulking presence of Amadou Onana, James Tarkowski, Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, among others.
Conversely, their ten goals from open play is something Dyche will be desperate to improve upon, with only the Hatters and Sheffield United enduring a worse record.
There are certainly areas for improvement, but for now, Everton fans will be over the moon with riding this wave towards definite safety.
Receive a digest of our best Everton content each week direct to your mailbox
